Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigns over Trump shooting outrage

• U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned following widespread outrage over how her agency failed to prevent the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania campaign rally earlier this month.
• Cheatle's resignation came a day after she was blasted by members of a House committee at a hearing on the Secret Service's actions leading up to Trump's July 13 rally in Butler Township.

U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned Tuesday following widespread outrage over how her agency failed to prevent the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania campaign rally earlier this month.

Cheatle's resignation, as first reported by NBC News citing sources, came a day after she was blasted by members of a House committee at a hearing on the Secret Service's actions leading up to Trump's July 13 rally in Butler Township.

At that hearing, Cheatle refused to resign, saying she was the best qualified person to head the Secret Service, which is responsible for protecting the president, vice president, their family members, and leading presidential candidates.

But on Tuesday, Cheatle in a letter wrote to Secret Service staff, "In light of recent events, it is with a heavy heart that, I have made the difficult decision to step down as your Director."

"The Secret Service's solemn mission is to protect our nation's leaders and financial infrastructure. On July 13th, we fell short on that mission," Cheatle wrote.

"The scrutiny over the last week has been intense and will continue to remain as our operational tempo increases. As your Director, I take full responsibility for the security lapse."

The chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee,