Supporters of President Donald Trump are applauding the Secret Service's decision to block the security clearance renewal of former Director Kimberly Cheatle, calling it a necessary step toward accountability after what they describe as one of the worst failures in the agency's history, Real Clear Politics reported.
The move, quietly made by new Secret Service Director Sean Curran, follows growing Republican pressure and public outrage over the events surrounding the July assassination attempt on Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Critics of Cheatle argue that her leadership directly contributed to the security breakdown that left Trump wounded and one rallygoer dead.
"Following the security debacle in Butler, the former director of USSS made the right decision to resign," Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., told RealClearPolitics. "I see no reason for her security clearance to be reinstated."
Curran, a Trump appointee, reversed the agency's initial plan to renew Cheatle's top-level clearance after Johnson voiced his opposition. A Secret Service spokesperson confirmed the reversal, saying Curran had determined "not all former directors need to have their clearances renewed." The agency cited ongoing modernization efforts and a restructuring of intelligence operations as justification.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., called the move long overdue.
"Kim Cheatle disgraced the Secret Service by failing to prevent a horrifying attempt on President Trump's life," she said. "Under no circumstances should she be allowed to regain her security clearance, and it is shameful she would even try."
The decision aligns with efforts by the Trump administration to limit access to classified material for former officials accused of political bias or professional misconduct.
Cheatle, who was appointed by former President Joe Biden, resigned under pressure after being widely criticized for her agency's failure to secure the rally site in Butler. She said during congressional testimony that the incident represented "the most significant operational failure of the Secret Service in decades."
But lawmakers were not satisfied with her answers. At the Republican National Convention days after the attack, a group of senators, including Blackburn, confronted Cheatle and demanded more information. She refused to respond, prompting further condemnation.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., later accused Cheatle of lying to Congress by denying that she withheld resources from Trump's protective detail. Cheatle, through her attorney, denied the claims and said she had ordered additional assets, "particularly in the form of agency countersnipers."
While critics argue the revocations are primarily symbolic, national security experts like Sean Bigley say they address systemic flaws. Bigley, a former clearance litigator, has long contended that maintaining clearances for high-profile former officials creates a "caste system" and serves little national security purpose.
"You have all of these former government bureaucrats who are continuing to have access to the highest level of classified information, and then they can go and take that continued insider access and make themselves a hot commodity in the private sector or on the cable news circuit," Bigley said.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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