The US Secret Service has admitted to complacency in the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. Acting Director Ronald Rowe Jr. revealed that the review of the incident identified deficiencies in advanced planning and implementation by Secret Service personnel ¹.
Rowe highlighted several shortcomings, including poor communication with local law enforcement, over-reliance on mobile devices, and line-of-sight issues that were not properly mitigated. For instance, a vital piece of information about an individual on the roof of the AGR building was not relayed over the Secret Service radio network ¹.
The incident resulted in two attendees being injured by gunfire, and a third, 50-year-old firefighter Corey Comperatore, died. The shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was shot dead on the roof by Secret Service personnel. Following the incident, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned, and several agents were placed on leave ¹.
The Congressional task force investigating the attempted assassination urged Rowe to hold employees accountable and cooperate with the independent investigation, stating that “complacency has no place in the Secret Service” ¹.
In response to the incident, the US House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill to enhance Secret Service protection for presidential candidates to the same level as sitting presidents and vice presidents. The bill awaits a vote in the Senate and a signature from President Joe Biden ¹.
Rowe confirmed that Trump is now receiving the same level of protection as the current president, citing a “tremendous threat environment” ¹. Trump has accused President Biden and Democratic rival Kamala Harris of inspiring the assassination attempts through their rhetoric, but both have condemned the attempts and political violence ¹.
