Secret Service Director Says Buck Stops with Her But She Will Not Resign

During an interview two days after the attempt on former President Donald Trump’s life, Secret Service Director Kim Cheatle said the buck the stops with her, but she is not resigning.

Cheatle talked about the assassination attempt with ABC News, saying, “It was unacceptable, and it’s something that shouldn’t happen again.”

She said, “The buck stops with me, I am the director of the Secret Service, and I need to make sure that we are performing a review and that we are giving resources to our personnel as necessary.”

ABC News indicated Cheatle made clear “she would not resign from her role.”

Cheatle talked about the incident in which a local police officer came in contact with the would-be assassin just before shots were fired at Trump. She not only confirmed that the officer saw the shooter on the roof of the building from which the attack occurred, but that local PD were in the very building on which the shooter was lying.

She then spoke to the fact that the Secret Service will “share support” in carrying out protective duties:

In this particular instance, we did share support for that particular site and that the Secret Service was responsible for the inner perimeter. And then we sought assistance from our local counterparts for the outer perimeter. There was local police in that building — there was local police in the area that were responsible for the outer perimeter of the building.

On July 16, 2024, Breitbart News reported on sources who criticized the Secret Service’s supplemental approach to protection details following Saturday’s assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio, a member of Gun Owners of America, and the director of global marketing for Lone Star Hunts. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal in 2010 and has a Ph.D. in Military History. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.