US Prez Joe Biden appoints new Secret Service director amid Jan 6 scrutiny

President Joe Biden named Kim Cheatle, a veteran Secret Service official, to be the agency's next director as it faces controversy over missing text messages during the Capitol attacks

Joe Biden
AP Washington
3 min read Last Updated : Aug 25 2022 | 8:22 AM IST

President Joe Biden on Wednesday named Kim Cheatle, a veteran Secret Service official, to be the agency's next director as it faces controversy over missing text messages around the time thousands of supporters of then-President Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol.

Cheatle, who left the Secret Service in 2021 for a job as a security executive at PepsiCo, takes the reins as multiple congressional committees and the Department of Homeland Security's internal watchdog are investigating the missing text messages, which the Secret Service has said were purged during a technology transition.

Cheatle had served in the Secret Service for 27 years and was the first woman to be named assistant director of protective operations, the division that provides protection to the president and other dignitaries.

Cheatle had served on Biden's protective detail when he was vice president. During that time, Biden "came to trust" her judgment and counsel, he said in a statement.

Biden said that her and first lady Jill Biden know firsthand Kim's commitment to her job and to the Secret Service's people and mission.

Cheatle replaces James Murray, who had announced his retirement to take a position with Snap, the social media company best known for its app, Snapchat. He announced last month that he would delay his retirement amid the investigations while Biden looked for a new director.

The Secret Service has faced increasing criticism after admitting that text messages from around the time of the attack of January 6, 2021, on the Capitol were deleted.

The agency has said the messages were purged when its phones were migrated to a new system in the weeks after the 2021 attack. Rep. Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla., a member of the House committee investigating the attack, has said the Secret Service told the committee that it left it up to individual agents to decide what electronic records to keep and what to delete during the process.

The committee has taken a recent, renewed interest in the Secret Service following the dramatic testimony of former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson about Trump's actions on the day of the insurrection.

The Secret Service has said all procedures were followed and pledged full cooperation with all of the reviews and investigations, including a criminal investigation by the Homeland Security's inspector general.

Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said Cheatle is a law enforcement veteran and served as the first female assistant director in charge of all protective operations for the agency before retiring.

We are ecstatic to welcome her back as the next Director of the United States Secret Service, he said in a tweet.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Quarterly Starter

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

Save 46%

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Access to Exclusive Premium Stories Online

  • Over 30 behind the paywall stories daily, handpicked by our editors for subscribers

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

Topics :Joe BidenUSAUS Capitol

First Published: Aug 25 2022 | 8:22 AM IST

Next Story