Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle resigned on Tuesday, confessing to "full responsibility" for the security failures that led to the failed assassination of President Trump.
"As your director, I take full responsibility for the security lapse," she wrote in an email to staff.
For days, Cheatle had said she was responsible for the security breakdown, but she rejected calls to step down. As recently as Monday, she told lawmakers that she wasn't going anywhere.
The July 13 assassination attempt was the most serious Secret Service failure since Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981.
Many have questioned why the Secret Service failed to secure an obvious rooftop that a gunman used to shoot at Trump. The former president narrowly escaped death, turning his head just in time as a bullet grazed his ear.
During a congressional hearing Monday, Cheatle refused to answer questions about the security failures, pointing to the FBI's investigation. Her stonewalling led lawmakers in both parties to call for her resignation.
A day after claiming she was the "best" person for the role, Cheatle realized her time was up.
“The scrutiny over the last week has been intense and will continue to remain as our operational tempo increases,” she said.
“I do not want my calls for resignation to be a distraction from the great work each and every one of you do towards our vital mission.”
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) took a victory lap.
"The Oversight Committee’s hearing resulted in Director Cheatle’s resignation and there will be more accountability to come," he said. "The Secret Service has a no-fail mission yet it failed historically on Director Cheatle’s watch."
Despite Cheatle's role in one of the greatest security catastrophes in U.S. history, she received a glowing send-off from President Biden.
"Jill and I are grateful to Director Kim Cheatle for her decades of public service. She has selflessly dedicated and risked her life to protect our nation throughout her career in the United States Secret Service," Biden said.
President Trump wrote, "The Biden/Harris Administration did not properly protect me, and I was forced to take a bullet for Democracy. IT WAS MY GREAT HONOR TO DO SO."
The Department of Homeland Security has appointed an independent panel to look into the security breakdown.
