Who is the US Secret Service chief and how did she get to that position?

The director of the US Secret Service has been called to testify before Congress later this month, amid question marks over how a gunman was allowed to carry out an assassination attempt against former president Donald Trump on Saturday.

What happened in the Trump assassination attempt?

Trump was injured when a shooter opened fire on a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where the presumptive Republican nominee was giving a campaign speech ahead of November’s US presidential election. The 78-year-old miraculously escaped with his life when a bullet flew just past his head, grazing his right ear, before he was rushed away by his Secret Service detail.

While Trump was able to walk away from the shooting, one spectator was killed and another two were seriously injured. The shooter, later identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old man from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, was shot dead by Secret Service agents.

The Secret Service, an agency which is responsible for protecting political figures such as presidents and presidential candidates, says Crooks shot at Trump from an “elevated position outside of the rally venue” - a rooftop spot which was reportedly just 400 to 500 feet from where the former president was standing.

Probes launched into Pennsylvania shooting

In an X post, Democratic congressman Ritchie Torres was among those who called for an investigation into the “security failures” that led to Saturday’s assassination attempt. “The federal government must constantly learn from security failures in order to avoid repeating them - especially when those failures have implications for the Nation,” Torres said. Speaking to reporters, the FBI special agent in charge of the Pittsburgh office, Kevin Rojek, said it was “surprising” that Crooks had been allowed to fire several shots, per CNN.

In a statement, the secretary of homeland security, Alejandro Mayorkas, said the Department of Homeland Security was working with the Secret Service and law enforcement to probe the shooting. “Maintaining the security of the Presidential candidates and their campaign events is one of our Department’s most vital priorities,” Mayorkas said.

The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability has also initiated an investigation into the shooting. Its chairman, Republican congressman James Comer, has written to Secret Service chief Kimberley Cheatle to summon her to testify at a hearing on Monday July 22.

Who is Kimberly Cheatle?

Cheatle has been the director of the Secret Service since September 2022, when she was appointed by US president Joe Biden. Cheatle replaced James Murray, who retired after just over three years in a role.

Cheatle previously worked on Biden’s protection team during his tenure as vice-president to Barack Obama. “She is a distinguished law enforcement professional with exceptional leadership skills, and was easily the best choice to lead the agency at a critical moment for the Secret Service,” Biden said when he announced her as Murray’s successor.

The second woman to head up the Secret Service, her appointment came at a time when the body found itself under fire for its handling of the January 6 assault on the Capitol. Murray had been due to step aside earlier than September 2022, but delayed his retirement from the agency amid an investigation over missing Secret Service records from the day of the attack.

Cheatle rejoined the Secret Service when she succeeded Murray, having left in 2019 to take over as director of global security at PepsiCo.