Secret Service Director Kim Cheatle resigns in disgrace [VIDEO]

Kimberly Cheatle, the director of the Secret Service, is finally paying attention to the storm of criticism that has swirled around her after the agency's disastrous lapse at Donald Trump's July 13 campaign rally.

Less than two weeks after the security debacle that saw the former president escape an assassin's bullet, Cheatle has opted to step down from his position.

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Amid mounting pressure and growing demands for her resignation, Cheatle, a 28-year veteran of the agency, formally tendered her resignation in a letter to Secret Service personnel on Tuesday. “I have and will always put the needs of this agency first. In light of recent events, it is with a heavy heart that I have made the difficult decision to step down as director,” Cheatle said in correspondence obtained by The New York Post.

His departure follows a series of troubling missteps and questionable decision-making after the rally shooting, where Trump and others were targeted.

Lawmakers and the public alike found little reassurance in Cheatle's explanations, particularly his claim that the sloping roof that provided an ideal vantage point for the assailant was considered too risky for officers to secure.

The ramifications of this security failure were dire, marking the first assassination attempt on a current or former US president since 1981.

At a House Oversight Committee hearing, Cheatle acknowledged the agency's shortcomings in handling the rally tragedy, but curiously gave its agents a glowing “A” grade for their efforts that day.

While House Speaker Mike Johnson notably refrained from calling for Cheatle's impeachment, Congresswoman Nancy Mace of South Carolina had been a proponent of this action. Spokesman Johnson joked upon learning of Cheatle's resignation during a briefing, suggested he may have been following his press conference and claimed his departure was long overdue. “Look, our reaction, the immediate reaction to his resignation, is that it's overdue. I should have done this at least a week ago,” he stressed.

“It is overdue. I should have done this at least a week ago.”

WATCH: President Mike Johnson reacts and responds to USSS Director Cheatle's resignation. pic.twitter.com/5Pc5FMJajb

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Amid the fallout from the Secret Service's major blunders, Cheatle's resignation marks a new chapter for the agency as it struggles to rebuild public trust and address critical lapses in security protocols.