Kimberly Cheatle

Some Lesser Known Facts About Kimberly Cheatle

• Her brother’s death in a car accident in 1988 inspired her to pursue a career in law enforcement. Before his death, her brother had expressed interest in becoming a state trooper.

• Four years after her brother’s death, Kimberly Cheatle graduated from college and applied for a job at the Secret Service.

• She joined the U.S. Secret Service in 1995 and began working at the Detroit field office on financial crimes.

• Kimberly Cheatle helped evacuate Vice President Dick Cheney during the September 11 attacks.

• She worked on Joe Biden’s security when Joe was serving as the Vice President of America during Barack Obama’s administration.

• In 2017 and 2018, Kimberly Cheatle served as deputy assistant director of the Secret Service.

• She has served as the special agent-in-charge at the Grand Rapids, Michigan office.

• Kimberly Cheatle became the first woman to serve as assistant director of Protective Operations, which protects the President and other VIPs.

• From 2019 to 2022, she served as the senior director of global security at PepsiCo.

• In August 2022, Joe Biden appointed Kimberly Cheatle as director of the United States Secret Service. She started the role on 17 September 2022.

• She became the second woman to serve as the director of the American Secret Service.

• Kimberly Cheatle took over the charge after the agency faced several controversies related to the 6 January 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

• In 2023, at a media conference, she said that the agency needed to attract more diverse candidates, especially women. She set a goal for 30% of recruits to be female by 2030.

• In April 2024, after a female agent attacked the superior agents of Vice President Kamala Harris, the House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer asked Cheatle for a briefing to address issues about hiring, training, and discipline.

  

• After the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, Cheatle’s previous statements on diversity, equity, and inclusion were frequently criticized by commentators.

• The Secret Service defended its female agents against criticism, calling it ‘misogynistic’ and stating that diversity in recruiting was improving the effectiveness of its protective teams.

• On 13 July 2024, during the attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, Cheatle was in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for the upcoming 2024 Republican National Convention.

  

• After the shooting and criticism of her leadership, Kimberly Cheatle admitted that the Secret Service had failed, calling the situation “unacceptable.”

• However, in a conversation with a media house, she said that she would not resign, explaining that local law enforcement was responsible for securing the building from which the shooter fired.

  

• On 20 July 2024, Congressman Brendan Boyle (D-PA) became the first congressional Democrat to appeal for Kimberly Cheatle’s resignation after the assassination attempt on Donald Trump.

• Earlier that day, House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell appealed to Cheatle to resign or join a new leadership role at the Secret Service.

• On 22 July 2024, Kimberly Cheatle testified before the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Accountability about the assassination attempt.

• During her testimony, she called the incident “the most significant operational failure at the Secret Service in decades.”

  

• Many House members criticized her testimony as vague and unhelpful. She faced criticism from both parties, with many lawmakers urging her to resign. However, she stated that she would not resign.

• Kimberly Cheatle resigned as the director of the Secret Service on 23 July 2024, after receiving threats.

• She enjoys doing home renovations in her free time.