Secret Service director steps down after assassination attempt against ex-President Trump at rally

By COLLEEN LONG Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The director of the Secret Service resigned Tuesday in the aftermath of the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump that unleashed an outcry about how the agency failed in its core mission to protect current and former presidents. Kimberly Cheatle, who had served as Secret Service director since August 2022, faced growing calls to resign and several investigations into how a gunman was able to get so close to the Republican presidential nominee at an outdoor campaign rally in Pennsylvania. U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle prepares to testify about the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a campaign event in Pennsylvania before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, at the Capitol, Monday, July 22, 2024 in Washington. (Photo provided/John McDonnell, AP) “I take full responsibility for the security lapse,” she said in an email to staff obtained by The Associated Press. “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’s departure was unlikely to end the scrutiny of the long-troubled agency after the failures of July 13, and it comes at a...