What to know about Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle
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Kimberly Cheatle at a press conference in June. Photo: Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle is expected to take a proactive role in addressing security issues in the wake of the attempted assassination of former President Trump on Saturday.
Why it matters: The shooting at a Pennsylvania rally underscored security concerns for elected leaders and shined a spotlight on the role of the Secret Service in protecting current and former presidents.
The latest: President Biden said in an address Sunday that he had directed Cheatle to review all of the security measures for the Republican National Convention, which begins Monday.
- Cheatle said in a statement Monday that the Secret Service will "participate fully" in the review and work with Congressional committees on any oversight action.
- "The Secret Service is working with all involved Federal, state and local agencies to understand what happened, how it happened, and how we can prevent an incident like this from ever taking place again," Cheatle said Monday.
What is Cheatle's background?
Biden appointed Cheatle to lead the Secret Service in 2022, making her the second woman ever to lead the agency.
- As director, Cheatle oversees the agency's execution of protection missions and investigations, according to her agency profile.
- Prior to her appointment, Cheatle served as the Senior Director in Global Security at PepsiCo, where she oversaw security protocols across the company's North American facilities.
- Before joining Pepsi, Cheatle spent 27 years in the Secret Service and served in a variety of leadership positions. She even served on Biden's Secret Service detail when he was vice president.
- "She has my complete trust," Biden said in 2022.
Security questions raised by the shooting
Trump's shooting has sparked scrutiny of the Secret Service and raised questions about how the shooter was able to circumvent security measures at the rally.
- While Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) claimed Saturday that Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas had denied repeated requests to increase Trump's Secret Service protection, the Secret Service firmly denied the allegation.
- "This is absolutely false. In fact, we added protective resources & technology & capabilities as part of the increased campaign travel tempo," Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi wrote on X Sunday.
Cheatle's role moving forward
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) vowed Saturday that the House would "conduct a full investigation" into the shooting.
- The House Oversight Committee has requested that Cheatle appear at a hearing before the committee on July 22.
- House lawmakers plan to introduce a bill bolstering Secret Service protections for President Biden, Trump and independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Go deeper: Trump shooting shakes up the GOP convention security conversation
Editor's note: This story was updated with a statement from Cheatle and additional developments.
