Kimberly Cheatle, Director of the United States Secret Service, admitted on Monday that her agency had failed in its duty to protect former President Donald Trump during a failed assassination attempt on Saturday, July 13.

“The Secret Service’s solemn mission is to protect our nation’s leaders. On July 13, we failed,” Ms Cheatle said as she was questioned by the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability.

“As Director of the United States Secret Service, I take full responsibility for any security lapse,” she added.

Ms Cheatle revealed that she had contacted Mr Trump after the incident to apologise for the failure of her agency. However, she declined to answer specific questions posed by committee members.

Lawmakers from both parties were aggressive in their criticism of Ms Cheatle’s leadership and called for her resignation.

Representative Ro Khanna, a Democrat from California, joined many Republican colleagues in demanding Ms Cheatle step down.

James R. Comer, a Republican representative from Kentucky and Chairman of the committee, described Ms Cheatle’s agency as the “face of incompetence,” while Representative Jim Jordan, a Republican from Ohio, accused the Secret Service of “cutting corners.”

Last week, Mr Trump narrowly escaped an assassination attempt when Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old from Pennsylvania, opened fire during a campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania.

A bullet grazed Mr Trump’s ear in the incident, which also resulted in the death of one rally attendee, Corey Comperatore, and injuries to two others. The shooter was subdued by Secret Service agents moments after he began firing at Mr Trump.