A Republican Party-led US House of Representatives panel on Sunday invited Kimberly A Cheatle, Director, Secret Service, to appear on July 22 to testify following yesterday’s shooting incident at a rally of former US President Donald Trump, the party’s presumptive nominee for November’s presidential election in the United States.

“The Committee on Oversight and Accountability has initiated an investigation and requests your voluntary appearance at a full Committee hearing on July 22, 2024,” panel Chairman James Comer said in his letter to Cheatle.

The United States Secret Service, a federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Homeland Security, is tasked with protecting American politicians, their families, and visiting heads of state or government.

Who is Secret Services director Kimberly A Cheatle?

(1.) Cheatle has headed the organisation since September 2022 and is its 27th director, and the succeeding James M Murray (May 2019-September 2022). She joined service in 1995.

(2.) Prior to her appointment as the Secret Service director, she served as Senior Director in Global Security with PepsiCo. There, she was responsible for security protocols for the company’s facilities in North America,

(3.) Her previous role with the Secret Service was as the Assistant Director of the Office of Protective Operations. Before that, Cheatle was the Special Agent In Charge of the organisation’s field office in Atlanta.

(4.) In 2021, US President Joe Biden, Trump’s successor in the Oval Office and his most likely opponent in the November election, awarded Cheatle a Presidential Rank Award for exceptional performance. Next year, Biden appointed her to her current post.

(5.) The second woman to lead the Secret Service (Julia Pierson being the first), Cheatle did her BA from the Eastern Illinois University.