Critical Security Lapses By Secret Service Exposed In New Report On Trump Assassination Attempt

A caller study from nan national Government Accountability Office (GAO) outlines nan U.S. Secret Service's information failures during nan first attempted assassination of then-presidential campaigner Donald Trump astatine a run rally successful Butler, Pa., 1 twelvemonth ago.

The report, ordered by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, reveals that nan Secret Service received classified intelligence regarding a threat to Trump’s life 10 days before nan rally, but grounded to stock nan accusation pinch different cardinal agencies. It besides identified a bid of procedural and readying mistakes, including "misallocation of resources, deficiency of training and pervasive connection failures" that led to nan adjacent assassination.

"One twelvemonth ago, a bid of bad decisions and bureaucratic handicaps led to 1 of nan astir shocking moments successful governmental history," Grassley said. "The Secret Service’s nonaccomplishment connected July 13 was nan culmination of years of mismanagement and came aft nan Biden management denied requests for enhanced information to protect President Trump. Americans should beryllium grateful that President Trump survived that time and was yet reelected to reconstruct communal consciousness to our country.

Trump, whose run had requested enhanced information but was denied by nan Biden administration, was grazed successful nan correct receptor while addressing nan crowd. Secret Service agents swarmed him, but he famously roseate to his feet arsenic he was being hustled to safety, raised his fist successful nan aerial and exhorted horrified onlookers to "Fight, fight, fight." One man successful nan crowd, Cory Comperatore, was killed protecting his family, while 2 others were injured. A 20-year-old section man, Thomas Crooks, was changeable dormant by antagonistic snipers arsenic he crouched connected nan tile of a adjacent building.

"There were mistakes made, and that shouldn't person happened," Trump told his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, connected Fox News. 

'ABSOLUTE BARE MINIMUM': CALLS FOR MORE ACTION AFTER SECRET SERVICE AGENTS SUSPENDED FOR SECURITY FAILURE

President Donald Trump is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents astatine a run rally connected July 13, 2024, successful Butler, Pennsylvania.  (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

The GAO is nan U.S. government’s superior auditor. Its astir year-long probe is nan longest reappraisal of nan attempted assassination to date. Key findings include:

• Ten days earlier nan event, high-level Secret Service officials were briefed connected a classified threat to Trump. "Once those officials reviewed nan intelligence, they could person past requested that unit wrong their concatenation of bid beryllium briefed connected nan circumstantial information." Officials grounded to stock this information, leaving national and section rule enforcement entities readying and staffing nan arena unaware of nan progressive threat, including members of nan Donald Trump Protective Division. Local rule enforcement officials told nan GAO they would person requested further assets for nan Butler rally, had they known.
• The Secret Service supplier who was responsible for "identif[ying] tract vulnerabilities," was caller to her role. The Butler arena was "her first clip readying and securing a ample outdoor arena arsenic nan tract agent."
• At nan clip of nan Butler event, nan Secret Service lacked a general argumentation for communicating a protectee staff’s requests for changes to information plans. A Trump run staffer had asked nan Secret Service beforehand team, who was unaware of nan progressive threat to Trump, not to usage ample workplace instrumentality to reside line-of-sight concerns adjacent 1 of nan buildings truthful arsenic not to interfere pinch run property photos. The beforehand squad complied, a determination which whitethorn person fixed Crooks a clearer changeable astatine nan shape from his rooftop perch.
• Secret Service officials denied nan Donald Trump Protective Division’s petition for enhanced antagonistic Unmanned Aerial Surveillance (cUAS) instrumentality astatine nan Butler event, arsenic "these resources had already been allocated for nan Republican and Democratic National Conventions." Fortunately, elder officials pinch knowledge of nan threat against Trump stepped successful to o.k. antagonistic sniper assets for nan rally, a determination which was described arsenic "inconsistent" pinch agency practices for making assets decisions." Absent this last-minute decision, Trump "would apt not person received nan antagonistic sniper assets that yet took retired [Crooks]," nan GAO wrote.

Fox News confirmed up of nan one-year day of Trump's first attempted assassination that six Secret Service agents were suspended without salary aft 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks opened occurrence astatine Trump during a rally successful occidental Pennsylvania past summer. 

SECRET SERVICE CHANGES THE AGENCY HAS MADE POST-TRUMP BUTLER ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

Supervisors and line-level agents were fixed suspensions ranging from 10 to 42 days without salary successful February, nan Secret Service confirmed to Fox News.

And nan news comes arsenic Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., approved a lawsuit to nan FBI and Justice Department for much accusation connected nan Butler assassination attempt. 

Johnson, who chairs nan Permanent Subcommittee connected Investigations, was a co-author of nan bipartisan Senate Homeland Security Committee study connected nan assassination effort past year.  

Then-Republican statesmanlike campaigner and erstwhile President Donald Trump reacts arsenic aggregate shots rang retired during a run rally astatine nan Butler Farm Show successful Butler connected July 13, 2024.  (REUTERS/Brendan McDermid)

On nan House side, nan assassination effort task unit released its last report connected Dec. 5, 2024, highlighting nan "significant failures successful nan planning, execution, and activity of nan Secret Service and its rule enforcement partners."

The study concluded nan shooting was "preventable," identifying mediocre beforehand planning, deficiency of coordination pinch section rule enforcement and mediocre Secret Service coordination by nan U.S. Secret Service. It projected 37 "actionable recommendations related some to nan information failures connected July 13 and to overarching structural changes" nan Secret Service should accommodate to summation information measures moving forward. 

Both Senate and House reports followed legislature testimonies, including from acting FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate, FBI Director Christopher Wray and Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe, who acknowledged nan agency's "failure" successful Butler. 

President Donald Trump is assisted by U.S. Secret Service unit aft gunfire rang retired during a run rally astatine nan Butler Farm Show successful Butler connected July 13, 2024.  (REUTERS/Brendan McDermid)

Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned from nan agency little than a week aft nan attempted assassination of Trump amid mounting pressure, taking "full work for nan information lapse."

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One time aft Butler, nan FBI announced its national investigation into nan shooting, calling it an assassination effort and a imaginable enactment of home terrorism. 

Fox News' Alexis McAdams and Alex Miller contributed to this report.