Disgraced Former Secret Service Director Denied Security Clearance [WATCH]

The U.S. Secret Service has halted the renewal of former Director Kimberly Cheatle’s security clearance, a year after she resigned from the agency in July 2024.

The decision comes in the wake of sustained criticism over the agency’s failure to prevent an assassination attempt on President Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Secret Service Director Sean Curran, appointed under the Trump administration, made the decision not to renew Cheatle’s clearance.

🚨 UPDATE: Trump Secret Service Director Sean Curran BLOCKS failed former Director Kimberly Cheatle from the Butler, PA disaster from renewing her security clearance, per RCP.

THE RIGHT MOVE. pic.twitter.com/QwUzaa48nb

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) August 2, 2025

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In a statement provided to RealClearPolitics (RCP), a Secret Service spokesperson said Curran “has determined that not all former directors need to have their clearances renewed.”

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The move aligns with pressure from lawmakers who had expressed concern over maintaining high-level security access for individuals involved in what many have described as one of the agency’s most serious operational failures in recent history.

Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI), who has been vocal in his criticism of the agency following the July 13, 2024, incident, said he supported the decision.

“Following the security debacle in Butler, the former director of USSS made the right decision to resign,” Johnson told RCP.

“I see no reason for her security clearance to be instated.”

On the day of the assassination attempt, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire during President Trump’s rally.

Cheatle later admitted during a televised interview with ABC News that Secret Service agents were not stationed on the roof where Crooks positioned himself, citing concerns over the “safety factor” of placing agents on a “sloped roof.”

Cheatle officially stepped down on July 14, 2024, one day after testifying before Congress.

During that hearing, lawmakers pressed her for answers, many of which she declined to provide.

Her resignation letter, obtained by the Associated Press, read, “I take full responsibility for the security lapse. In light of recent events, it is with a heavy heart that I have made the difficult decision to step down as your director.”

Since assuming leadership, Director Curran has implemented structural changes within the Secret Service.

According to the agency’s statement to RCP, Curran has been “building a dynamic team of knowledgeable advisors” and “modernizing the intelligence apparatus within the agency.”

The practice of maintaining or renewing security clearances for former agency heads has long been standard within the Secret Service, CIA, FBI, and other intelligence agencies.

A Secret Service spokesperson explained that the purpose of this practice is “so the agency can maintain formal and protected communication, including potentially sensitive and classified matters with former officials.”

However, under Curran’s direction, the agency has begun reassessing that policy.

“Director Curran has determined that not all former directors need to have their clearances renewed,” the spokesperson said.

“His focus is on building a forward-looking leadership team and enhancing the agency’s capabilities.”

Additional scrutiny has emerged following allegations from Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), who accused Cheatle of lying to Congress during her testimony.

According to a report by the New York Post, Paul said Cheatle “denied accusations she turned down requests for more resources” to secure President Trump’s Butler rally in advance.

The fallout from the July 2024 incident continues to reverberate through the Secret Service and broader federal security community.

Investigations into the events leading up to the attack remain ongoing, while the Trump administration and key lawmakers press for further accountability.