Former Secret Service Director Gets Extra Protection
- Former Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle, who faced pressure to resign after an incident involving Trump, is granted substantial agency protection.
- The protection provided to Cheatle is described as 'unprecedented' by the agency.
- The decision to offer increased security to Cheatle follows significant events during her time in office.
Kimberly Cheatle, the former director of the Secret Service, is set to receive significant security measures due to the fallout from an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. The Secret Service has decided to assign a security detail to Cheatle amid concerns that she may face retaliation linked to the agency's perceived failures during the July 13 incident, which resulted in injuries to Trump and two others, as well as the death of a former fire chief. The protection for Cheatle will be provided by the Dignitary Protection Division, which typically safeguards foreign leaders and lower-profile Cabinet officials during their visits to Washington, D.C. President Biden ordered this enhanced security in response to multiple threats against Cheatle, including death threats and encounters with individuals exhibiting threatening behavior. Biden's connection to Cheatle stems from her role in his vice presidential security detail. Cheatle resigned from her position on July 23 after facing intense scrutiny from lawmakers during a House Oversight Committee hearing. This situation marks a historic precedent, as it is the first instance where the Secret Service has utilized its resources to protect a former leader. Additionally, the agency has also begun providing protection to third-party candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. following the assassination attempt, after he requested Secret Service security for his campaign.