Secret Service director resigns after Trump assassination attempt

• The shooting by a lone gunman killed one person and wounded the Republican presidential nominee and two others.
• Cheatle's resignation comes as the Secret Service faces intense scrutiny from numerous federal and congressional probes. The agency did not immediately respond Tuesday to Axios' request for comment.

What they're saying: Former President Trump told Newsmax Tuesday he didn't think Cheatle had "much of a choice" but to resign following the assassination attempt.

• It "should have happened, I would say, within an hour — not nine days, 10 days," he said. "That would seem to be inevitable."

President Biden thanked Cheatle for her public service, saying she "has selflessly dedicated and risked her life to protect our nation throughout her career."

• "As a leader, it takes honor, courage, and incredible integrity to take full responsibility for an organization tasked with one of the most challenging jobs in public service," Biden said.
• "The independent review to get to the bottom of what happened on July 13 continues, and I look forward to assessing its conclusions. We all know what happened that day can never happen again."
• He added that he would appoint a new director "soon."

State of play: Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced Tuesday that he has appointed Secret Service Deputy Director Ronald Rowe as acting director of the agency following Cheatle's resignation.

• "I appreciate his willingness to lead the Secret Service at this incredibly challenging moment, as the agency works to get to the bottom of exactly what happened on July 13 and cooperate with ongoing investigations and Congressional oversight," Mayorkas said in a statement.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Tuesday that Cheatle's resignation was "overdue," adding that "she should have done this at least a week ago."

• "The stakes are too high. It's a very dangerous time, and we need the Secret Service to be performing at the top of their game," he said.
• Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) announced earlier Tuesday a bipartisan task force to investigate the assassination attempt.
• The panel will be responsible for "recommendations for reform to the relevant government agencies and recommend any necessary legislation to implement the reforms," Johnson and Jeffries said.

Context: Cheatle was grilled in a hearing before the House Oversight Committee on Monday. During the hearing, multiple Republican and Democratic lawmakers called on her to step down.

• In her opening statement, Cheatle said she accepted "full responsibility" for the security lapses before and during Trump's rally near Butler, Pennsylvania.

• While being questioned, Cheatle frustrated members of the panel by repeatedly declining to give direct answers or elaborate on specific details, citing the ongoing FBI investigation.

Zoom in: House lawmakers have said that FBI and Secret Service officials told them that the building from which the gunman fired his shots was identified as "an area of concern" as early as five days ahead of the event.

• On the day of the rally, the Secret Service was notified of a suspicious person with a rangefinder about 10 minutes before Trump walked on stage and roughly 20 minutes before shots were fired.

Zoom out: The Secret Service had increased its protective measures around Trump ahead of the rally after the U.S. received intelligence concerning an Iranian plot to assassinate him.

• However, the service had also denied requests for additional federal resources from Trump's security detail over the two years before the assassination attempt, according to the New York Times.

The big picture: The FBI, which is investigating the shooting as a potential act of domestic terrorism, has yet to determine the gunman's motive.

• The little information so far released about the gunman, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, has not clearly indicated political or ideological intentions behind the attack.
• Crooks was registered as a Republican and donated money to a Democratic political action committee, but was also too young to have voted in any previous presidential elections.

Go deeper: Trump rally violence recalls historic presidential attacks

Editor's note: This story was updated with comment from former President Trump, a statement from President Biden and additional reaction and context.