Overview

• Director Sean Curran said he declined to renew Kimberly Cheatle’s clearance as part of a policy overhaul to tighten intelligence protocols and reshape the agency’s advisory structure.
• The Secret Service, alongside the CIA and FBI, had routinely renewed top-level clearances for all former directors to preserve formal communication channels.
• Cheatle stepped down in July 2024 after congressional hearings criticized her handling of the Butler, Pennsylvania, rally security that failed to stop a shooter from grazing President Trump’s ear.
• Senators Ron Johnson and Marsha Blackburn urged the agency to withhold her clearance, arguing that oversight failures during the assassination attempt disqualified her.
• Senator Rand Paul accused Cheatle of lying to Congress about turning down resource requests and she issued a public denial of that claim.