House Democrat calls for CIA director to resign

U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA) is calling upon Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to resign. 

This comes, of course, following the recent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. Given what has been learned about the assassination attempt, many have been pointing their fingers at Cheatle.

What makes Boyle's call for Cheatle to resign newsworthy is the fact that he is the first Democratic member of Congress to make this call, Fox News reports.

Accordingly, this could be the start of a bipartisan effort to have Cheatle removed from her position.

"Cheatle must resign"

Boyle called for Cheatle's resignation in a statement that he released over the weekend.

"I am calling on Director Cheatle to resign immediately following last weekend's shooting of a Presidential candidate in Western Pennsylvania," he wrote.

Cheatle added, "The evidence coming to light has shown unacceptable operational failures. I have no confidence in the leadership of the United States Secret Service if Director Cheatle chooses to remain in her position."

Director Cheatle must resign immediately.

My statement calling for the resignation of United States Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle: pic.twitter.com/q0ONU8PlAF

— Rep. Brendan Boyle (@CongBoyle) July 21, 2024

One other thing that makes this statement from Cheatle so surprising is that he has been a staunch White House ally.

Background

Chances are that you, the reader, have been following the investigations regarding the assassination attempt on Trump's life and that you, therefore, are aware of the numerous errors made by the Secret Service on Cheatle's watch.

But, here is something that you may not know because it has not been as widely reported: Cheatle has an extremely close connection to the Biden White House.

The New York Post reports:

Embattled Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, who is facing congressional outcry and calls to resign over security lapses leading to former President Donald Trump’s near-assassination Saturday, landed her role thanks largely to a close relationship with first lady Jill Biden, The Post has learned.

This is why it is so surprising that Boyle is calling for Cheatle's resignation, given that Boyle has been a key Biden ally and that Cheatle has a close connection with the Bidens.

It remains to be seen how this will all play out. Cheatle, for her part, is refusing to resign from her post. At the time of this writing, she is testifying before Congress about the failures of her agency that led to the assassination attempt on Trump, and it does not appear to be going well for her.