Comment President Biden announced Wednesday that he has selected a new director for the U.S. Secret Service, an agency that has come under increasing scrutiny in recent months and faced a dramatic spotlight at House committee hearings investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on Capitol Hill. USA. Biden said in a statement that he chose Kim Cheatle, who rose through the ranks during 27 years with the agency and served in his security detail when he was vice president. Cheatle, currently an employee of PepsiCo, will become the second female head of the organization in its 157-year history. “Jill and I know firsthand Kim’s commitment to her work and to the people and mission of the Secret Service,” Biden said. As he served his evidence, Biden said, “We trusted her judgment and advice.” Cheatle became the first woman to serve as the agency’s assistant director of protective operations, one of the most prominent positions in the Secret Service. “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,” Biden said. “She has my complete trust and I look forward to working with her.” The announcement came several weeks after Secret Service Director James Murray announced he was stepping down to take a job as chief security officer for Snap Inc. based in California, owner of the social networking site Snapchat. The move also came after high-profile, often unwelcome incidents for the agency, which is tasked with protecting top US officials, including former presidents, as well as visiting foreign dignitaries. Two Secret Service agents sent to South Korea for Biden’s trip there in May engaged in behavior that resulted in a confrontation with South Korean citizens. The incident occurred while the agents were off duty, but they returned to the United States and were placed on administrative leave. A month earlier, agency leaders acknowledged that four Secret Service employees — including an agent assigned to protect first lady Jill Biden — were allegedly framed by two men posing as federal agents who gave them gifts. In recent weeks, Secret Service agents appeared in dramatic testimony before a House committee on Jan. 6. Former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson testified that she was told as much President Donald Trump criticized his protective detail when agents did not escort him to join supporters marching on the Capitol, at a point they longed for behind the wheel of the presidential vehicle. January 6 showed two Secret Service figures Officials said on condition of anonymity that Secret Service agents dispute some details of Hutchinson’s account — and are prepared to do so under oath — though they do not dispute the idea that Trump was angry and wanted to be taken to Capitol Hill. When Murray announced his departure last month, White House officials said he was not connected to the congressional hearings. The only other woman to lead the Secret Service was Julia Pearson in 2013-2014, who resigned after security lapses eroded President Barack Obama’s trust in her. Cheatle has held several roles at the agency, including her work as a member of the Vice President Protective Division, and in 2021 Biden presented her with a Presidential Rank Award. She is currently a senior manager at PepsiCo North America overseeing facilities, personnel and business continuity.
