WASHINGTON — The director of the Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle, announced her resignation on Tuesday following an assassination attempt on ex-President Donald Trump.

The incident has sparked intense scrutiny over the agency's ability to protect current and former presidents.

Cheatle, who had been leading the agency since August 2022, faced mounting pressure to step down and multiple investigations into how the shooter managed to get so close to the former president at an outdoor campaign rally in Pennsylvania.

"I take full responsibility for the security lapse," Cheatle said in an email to 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."

Her resignation comes at a critical time ahead of the Democratic National Convention and a busy presidential campaign season. Lawmakers have vowed to continue investigating the security breach, with an inspector general probe and an independent, bipartisan effort initiated by President Joe Biden keeping the agency under the spotlight.

Cheatle’s departure follows a contentious appearance before a congressional committee where she was grilled by both Democrats and Republicans about the security failures.

She described the assassination attempt as the Secret Service's "most significant operational failure" in decades and accepted full responsibility, but frustrated lawmakers by evading specific questions about the investigation.

President Biden, in a statement, emphasized the need to prevent such incidents from happening again and announced plans to appoint a new director soon. "We all know what happened that day can never happen again," Biden said, expressing gratitude for Cheatle’s service during his administration.

The 20-year-old shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, managed to get within 135 meters of the stage where Trump was speaking before opening fire. Despite prior threats on Trump’s life from Iran and additional security measures, the shooter was able to reach the roof of a building from which he fired.

Cheatle acknowledged that the Secret Service had been alerted to a suspicious individual multiple times before the rally but failed to act adequately. Agents quickly escorted a bloodied Trump off the stage, and agency snipers killed the shooter. One rallygoer was killed, and two others were critically injured.

Cheatle, who served in the Secret Service for 27 years, was the first woman named assistant director of protective operations and the second woman to lead the agency. She previously served as a security executive at PepsiCo before being appointed by Biden in 2022. — Agencies