After the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump last month – in which the bullet missed its fatal impact by less than an inch – Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle was put on trial by the House Oversight Committee. On July 22, she took full responsibility for failing to protect Trump, whose ear was struck by the bullet. But in a fit of self-contradiction, she then declared that she would stay in office “and be accountable to the agency, this committee, the former president and the American public.”

That accepting responsibility and accountability might lead to her resignation was not Cheatle’s considered view. However, the avalanche of condemnation, not criticism, that she received from the committee led to an abrupt about-face and her resignation the day after her testimony.

It is a pity that top executives in America today no longer believe in the old naval principle that if the ship runs aground, no matter what the cause, the captain must bear the cost. In a case like this, respect for those one serves requires at least a sincere offer of resignation. Instead, those who fail at the top must all too often be forcibly forced from their positions of power, inside and outside government, rather than leaving with a graceful acceptance of one of the heavier burdens of leadership.

Cheatle’s criticism came from both parties, which is rare in the United States these days. But she was not the only one refusing to take responsibility. If they were honest with themselves, members of Congress would have done so too, for they played no small part in bringing about the downfall of Cheatle, her predecessors, and her successors.

The history of the Secret Service is in part a story of how the government, particularly Congress, has an incredibly difficult time organizing itself. Congress adds functions to agencies but rarely cuts them, putting officials in an impossible position.

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Abraham Lincoln created the Secret Service in 1865 to combat the counterfeiting epidemic that accompanied the Civil War. Sensibly, the Secret Service was placed under the Treasury Department, where it remained for nearly 140 years. In the late 19th century, and more formally in the early 20th century, it assumed the task of protecting the president, a need that was heightened by the assassination of President William McKinley.

As is the nature of such things, the mission expanded. 1908: Protection of the president-elect. 1917: Protection of the president’s immediate family. 1951: Vice presidents, vice presidents’ families, and vice presidents-elect. 1963: a former first lady and their children. 1971: Visiting heads of state, distinguished foreign visitors, and U.S. officials abroad on special missions. 1976: Presidential and vice presidential candidates and their spouses within 120 days of the general election. 2008: Protection of former vice presidents, their spouses, and minor children. Meanwhile, in 1970, the Secret Service, through its later uniformed division, assumed physical protection of the White House grounds, foreign diplomatic missions in the Washington, D.C., area, and all presidential offices.

But that’s not all. The original mission – investigating counterfeit currency – remained. In fact, other missions were added: in 1933, the investigation of fraud at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; in 1986, the security of the U.S. Treasury Department; in 1990, the investigation of crimes against federally insured financial institutions; and in 1994, technical and analytical support to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

There have been occasional attempts to streamline this growing mountain of tasks. For example, in 2003, the Secret Service was sensibly transferred to the Department of Homeland Security, although there have been efforts to move it back. And every now and then, some members of Congress have wondered about the Secret Service’s multifaceted tasks. But they have done nothing significant. The result is that an agency that is small by federal standards – a budget of about $3 billion and 8,000 employees (though it says it needs nearly 10,000) – is large in absolute terms and requires targeted management.

Common sense would suggest that an organization of this size, with such a critical mission as protecting heads of state and their families, should focus exclusively on that mission. Secret Service directors should have only one thought in mind: ensuring the safety of the growing number of men and women they are charged with protecting. Common sense would say that numerous other federal agencies could take on financial crimes or help search for missing children. But common sense struggles to break through the inertia and inaction, not to mention the penchant for performance over legislation, that plague Congress.

The Secret Service is an unsympathetic organization. As residents of the capital know, its officers are humorless and brusque in the performance of their duties. In dealing with them, I felt that I was only one misunderstood gesture away from being on the ground with my arms and legs outstretched. Moreover, it is unsettling to see motorcades with sirens blaring, paralyzing traffic, and heavily armored SUVs chasing waves of motorcycles and police cars. We are a long, long way from the White House actually being the people’s house, and from a president being as accessible as, say, Teddy Roosevelt, who famously shook hands with more than 8,000 visitors on New Year’s Day 1907. The protective cocoon of the Secret Service is one of many ways in which presidents soon lose the sense of being merely servants of the people – powerful for a time, but employees of a republic rather than scions of a monarchy.

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But there’s a reason the Secret Service is unlovable. When the Secret Service fails at its primary mission, as it did when President John F. Kennedy was shot, or as it nearly did on July 13, 2024, it can turn the nation’s history on its head. When its agents’ discipline erupts over sexual adventures with local prostitutes, for example, it’s international headlines that discredit more than just the officers. The Secret Service is a bureaucracy that requires a unique combination of analytical skills, tactical expertise, advanced technology, and a willingness to take a bullet for someone you may deeply despise. There are few more demanding and stressful jobs in law enforcement.

The men and women of the Secret Service should be held accountable for their mistakes – but the same goes for those who could make their lives a lot easier by allowing them to focus on their primary mission and nothing else. Someone else can hunt down the counterfeiters.