Joe Biden has ordered the Secret Service to provide protection to his own former director after she received death threats in the wake of the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.
Kimberley Cheatle resigned in disgrace after would-be assassin Thomas Crooks shot the former president in the ear during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13.
He declined to explain why the gunman was allowed to gain a clear line of fire from less than 140 yards away when he appeared before Congress nine days later.
And she was ridiculed for suggesting that officers could not have been placed on the “sloped roof” from which she fired.
She has now sparked even more outrage after becoming the first former director in the service’s history to be assigned her own security team after receiving “numerous threats”. CPR reported.
“I don’t recall Kimberly Cheatle being chosen,” one critic tweeted. “She can afford her own protection if she wants it that badly.”
Former Secret Service Director Cheatle has admitted to Congress that she was responsible for the massive security breach that led to the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.
Cheatle refused to resign from office for nine days after the failures that led to Trump being shot in the ear.
The former president escaped with a superficial wound, but two people in his audience were seriously injured and former fire chief Corey Comperatore, 50, was fatally shot while trying to protect his family.
“The solemn mission of the Secret Service is to protect our nation’s leaders and financial infrastructure,” Cheatle wrote in his resignation letter to his colleagues. “On July 13, we failed to fulfill that mission.
Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, was allowed to come within 140 yards of Trump despite repeated warnings to the Secret Service.
“As your Director, I take full responsibility for the security breach. However, I do not want my calls for your resignation to be a distraction from the great work each and every one of you do.”
Part of that job will now include caring for Cheatle herself after she was assigned protection by the service’s Dignitary Protection Division.
Two congressional committees, the FBI and the Secret Service itself have launched investigations to determine what went wrong at the demonstration.
In his appearance at the Capitol, he admitted that his officers at the rally had been warned up to five times about Crooks, and that the roof from which Crooks opened fire had been identified as a potential vulnerability days before the rally.
But her stonewalling angered congressional leaders, with some suggesting Biden only appointed her as a “DEI hire.”
“You’re full of shit today,” Nancy Mace of South Carolina told her at one point.
“You’re being completely dishonest.”
The embattled security chief faced mounting questions about why there was no officer stationed at the building from which Thomas Crooks opened fire on the former president, and why Trump was allowed on stage even when a threat was detected.
Biden thanked Cheatle for her “decades of public service” in a statement after her resignation was made public and promised to name someone to replace her “soon.”
“She has selflessly dedicated herself and risked her life to protect our nation throughout her career in the United States Secret Service,” the President wrote.
He continued: “As a leader, it takes honor, courage and incredible integrity to assume full responsibility for an organization charged with one of the most challenging jobs in public service.”
“We all know that what happened that day cannot happen again. As we move forward, I wish Kim all the best and plan to appoint a new director soon.”
News that he will be assigned protection came as it emerged the service is ordering bulletproof glass screens to allow Trump to hold his first outdoor rallies since the assassination attempt.
The former president has held nearly a dozen events since July 13, but all of them have been indoors at the recommendation of the Secret Service.
“They would rather we were in a stadium. I don’t know why,” he said at a rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on July 31.
“But we are not going to give up on open-air demonstrations. You know, all those people that we had to turn away today, you can be present at an open-air demonstration.”
The service typically provides ballistic glass protection to sitting presidents, but a source told ABC it is ordering and stockpiling sheets across the country so they can be used at Trump’s outdoor events.
“The Secret Service’s use of UpArmored glass around former President Trump is another step toward ensuring the campaign is and remains safe,” former agent Don Mihalek told the outlet.
‘This is not just a simple piece of glass, but a large, bulky and heavy bulletproof glass that will require extensive logistical capacity, normally reserved for large-scale outdoor events.’
But news that it is also spending public money to protect its own former director has been slammed by critics.
“Is Kimberly Cheatle coming?” one asked.
“He’ll probably get more protection than Trump knowing this administration,” wrote another.
“Give him some new, overweight, under-trained employees,” suggested a third. “He’ll be fine.”
