Resignation of Secret Service Director Following Assassination Attempt on Trump

Kimberly Cheatle, the Director of the Secret Service, announced her resignation today. This step follows the admission that her agency failed to adequately protect Donald Trump from an assassination attempt that occurred earlier this month. Cheatle's decision marks an abrupt end to her nearly 30-year career in the agency. However, her resignation had been increasingly anticipated in recent days, especially after lawmakers from both parties demanded her resignation during a heated hearing at the Capitol. "I was surprised it took this long," said my colleague David Fahrenthold, who reported on the shooting that took place on July 13 at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Today, leading Republicans and Democrats in the House announced that they would form a bipartisan task force to investigate the incident. When I asked David about the unresolved questions, he said there were many: There are still no complete answers as to why the roof the shooter used was unsecured; how the shooter managed to evade the police after being classified as a "suspicious person"; and why agents near Trump were not informed about reports of a man on the roof. Many questions also remain about the shooter himself and his motives. "It is clear that the task of the Secret Service has become more difficult. They are now protecting more people than before, especially during the campaign season, and it's obvious that their resources were overstretched," David said. "But the issues in Butler went beyond the budget—they lacked imagination and clear accountability." A visual investigation by the Times reconstructed in 3-D the sightlines of three sniper teams and the assassin, showing how he had an advantage over law enforcement.