“Jill and I know firsthand Kim’s commitment to her job, to the people, and to the mission of the Secret Service. When Kim served on my security detail when I was Vice President, we trusted her judgment and counsel,” Biden wrote. in the statement. “She is a distinguished law enforcement professional with exceptional leadership skills and was easily the best choice to lead the agency at a critical time for the Secret Service. She has my complete trust and I look forward to working with her.” Chitle, who will succeed James Murray in the director role, is the second woman ever appointed to head the agency. Homeland Security Minister Alejandro Mayorkas praised Chitle’s appointment. “I am confident that her skills, combined with her fresh perspective, will ensure that the Secret Service builds on its strong foundation to grow and evolve into an even more effective agency,” said Mayorkas, whose agency oversees the Secret Service. “I thank Director Cheatle for heeding the call to return to public service, and I look forward to working together to support the work of the U.S. Secret Service.” Cheatle’s appointment comes after Murray announced in July that he would delay his planned retirement from the agency as the agency faced inquiries from Congress and elsewhere about the deletion of text messages around Jan. 6, 2021. CNN previously reported that the The US Secret Service deleted text messages from January 5 and 6, 2021 — the day before and the day of the Washington D.C. riot. The text messages in question may have been deleted when the agency conducted a phone data transfer that began on January 27, 2021. Personal cell phone numbers of US Secret Service agents have been provided to watchdogs looking into the insurgency. Multiple watchdogs, including the Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General, the National Archives and the House Committee on January 6, are either investigating or requesting more information about the USSS text messages. It’s not immediately clear if those personal cell phone numbers from agents are related to those investigations. And earlier this month, the professional association that supports federal law enforcement agents warned members of the Secret Service that their personal phone numbers recently released by the agency “will likely be used” in a criminal investigation. CNN’s Whitney Wild, Jamie Gangel and Paul LeBlanc contributed to this report.
