Resignation of the director of the U.S. Secret Service after an assassination attempt on Trump triggers crisis and criticism

The resignation of the director of the United States Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle, has shaken the foundations of the agency responsible for protecting current and former presidents of the country. Her resignation comes a day after she admitted that the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump was a failure in protecting him, triggering a wave of criticism and pressure for her to step down from her position. The incident that triggered this crisis took place on July 13 at a rally in Pennsylvania, where a 20-year-old man managed to shoot Trump, injuring him in the ear. The Secret Service, responsible for safeguarding the integrity of American leaders, was in a tight spot for allowing an armed individual to access a rooftop overlooking the event location, putting the life of the former president and those present at risk. Cheatle's appearance before the House Oversight Committee was the scene of bipartisan condemnation, with both Democratic and Republican lawmakers questioning her leadership and demanding her resignation. The Secret Service director refused to answer questions about the security plan for the rally and how the situation with the armed man was handled, further increasing the pressure against her. The seriousness of the assassination attempt and the circumstances surrounding it led Cheatle to take responsibility for the shooting, describing it as the worst failure of the Secret Service in decades, comparing it to the assassination attempt against former President Ronald Reagan in 1981. This incident has exposed flaws in security protocols and has prompted a series of investigations by both Congress and the Department of Homeland Security. One of the critical points has been the lack of security on the rooftop from where the assailant fired, located at a considerable distance from the stage where Trump was. The decision to declare that area outside the security perimeter has been heavily criticized and has called into question the effectiveness and professionalism of the Secret Service in protecting high-profile figures. Kimberly Cheatle, who had taken over as director of the Secret Service in 2022, coming from a security position at PepsiCo, has been scrutinized for various scandals that have tarnished the agency in recent years. From the revelation of agents involved with women in Colombia during a visit by Barack Obama in 2012, to accusations of evidence manipulation related to the Capitol riots in January 2021, the Secret Service has faced a series of crises that have undermined its reputation. Cheatle's resignation marks a turning point for the Secret Service and raises questions about its ability to ensure the security of the country's leaders in an increasingly tense and polarized context. The appointment of a new director will be crucial to restore confidence in an agency essential for the stability and functioning of democracy in the United States.