US president promises to appoint new Secret Service leadership

US President Joe Biden has expressed gratitude for Secret Service Director Kim Cheatle’s decades of service and announced plans to appoint a new leader for the agency.

In a statement following Cheatle’s resignation amid the fallout from the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, Biden praised Cheatle’s dedication and selflessness, noting that she had risked her life to protect the nation, Caliber.Az reports citing the foreign media.

He extended his best wishes to her as she steps down.

Biden also empasized the importance of the ongoing independent review into the July 13 incident, stating, “I look forward to assessing its conclusions.” He concluded, “We all know what happened that day can never happen again.”

US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has resigned following intense pressure from lawmakers after a failed assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.

In her resignation letter, Cheatle cited the "intense scrutiny" and increasing operational demands as key factors in her decision.

She expressed full responsibility for the security lapse and stated, "In light of recent events, it is with a heavy heart that I have made the difficult decision to step down as your Director." Cheatle, who has led the agency since September 2022, did not specify her last day in office.

Trump, 78, was holding a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania - a key state in the November 5 election - when shots rang out, hitting his right ear and leaving his face streaked with blood. His campaign said he was doing well.

"That reality is just setting in," Trump told the Washington Examiner on July 14. "I rarely look away from the crowd. Had I not done that in that moment, well, we would not be talking today, would we?"

Trump, responding on Truth Social, claimed, "The Biden/Harris Administration did not properly protect me, and I was forced to take a bullet for Democracy. It was my great honour to do so!"