Kimberly Cheatle stepped down from her position as the director of the Secret Service after a tough congressional hearing where lawmakers criticized her agency’s failure to protect former President Donald Trump during the July 13, 2024, assassination attempt.
She shared her resignation via email obtained by The Associated Press, stating that she takes “full responsibility for the security lapse.”
Netizens have been asking: What was Kimberly Cheatle’s salary? Here’s what we know.
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What was Kimberly Cheatle’s salary as director of the Secret Service?
Though the specific details of Kimberly Cheatle’s salary as the Secret Service director remain confidential, Glassdoor estimates that directors generally earn between $118,000 and $175,000 per year. The base salary for the Secret Service director typically averages around $137,000, with additional pay averaging about $6,000 annually.
Kimberly Cheatle initially refused to resign.
During her appearance before the congressional committee, Kimberly Cheatle faced extensive scrutiny from both Democrats and Republicans for security lapses.
She acknowledged the attempt on Trump’s life as the “most significant operational failure” of the Secret Service in decades but maintained her position as the agency’s leader.
When Republican Rep. Nancy Mace suggested she write her resignation letter during the hearing, Kimberly firmly declined, saying, “No, thank you.”
In a surprising show of bipartisan unity, Republican chairman Rep. James Comer and top Democrat Rep. Jamie Raskin jointly called for Kimberly’s resignation in a letter issued by the committee.
In response to the widespread outrage, Kimberly officially stepped down on July 23.
According to CNBC, Kimberly stated, “The Secret Service’s solemn mission is to protect our nation’s leaders and financial infrastructure. On July 13th, we fell short on that mission.”
She further remarked, “The scrutiny over the last week has been intense and will continue to remain as our operational tempo increases. As your Director, I take full responsibility for the security lapse.”
After her resignation, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas appointed Secret Service Deputy Director Ronald Rowe as the acting director until President Joe Biden chooses a permanent replacement.
Who is Kimberly Cheatle?
Cheatle, born in 1970, is a former American law enforcement officer who served as the 27th director of the United States Secret Service from 2022 to 2024.
She joined the United States Secret Service in 1995 and later worked at PepsiCo as senior director of global security from 2019 to 2022. Appointed by President Joe Biden, she assumed the role of director in September 2022.
Kimberly was at the helm of the Secret Service during the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, which garnered national attention, leading to congressional hearings.
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