President Joe Biden praised ex-Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, who resigned after facing a barrage of angry lawmakers on both sides of the aisle at a hearing the day before on the agency’s failure to prevent an assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump.
Biden said in his statement on Tuesday:
Jill and I are grateful to Director Kim Cheatle for her decades of public service. She has selflessly dedicated and risked her life to protect our nation throughout her career in the United States Secret Service. We especially thank her for answering the call to lead the Secret Service during our Administration and we are grateful for her service to our family.
He added: “As a leader, it takes honor, courage, and incredible integrity to take full responsibility for an organization tasked with one of the most challenging jobs in public service.”
He said an independent review into the assassination attempt he directed “continues,” and he looks forward to assessing its conclusions.
“We all know what happened that day can never happen again. As we move forward, I wish Kim all the best, and I will plan to appoint a new Director soon,” he wrote.
Biden has not been seen for days as he recovers from the coronavirus in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. He is expected to return to the White House on Tuesday afternoon.
At the hearing on Monday Cheatle staunchly resisted calls to resign, even saying she believed she was the “best person” for the job at that time, and that she wanted to stay on to provide answers and continuity.
However, Cheatle angered lawmakers on both sides of the aisle when she was unable to answer a number of key questions and frequently deferred to the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), who is investigating the incident. She resigned Tuesday.
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