Senate Panel: Secret Service Failures Before Trump Rally Shooting Were Preventable

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan Senate investigation has revealed multiple failures by the Secret Service ahead of a rally for former President Donald Trump in July, where a gunman opened fire. The findings, released on Wednesday, indicate that these failures were “foreseeable, preventable, and directly linked to the events leading up to the assassination attempt” that day.

According to the interim report from the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, similar issues were noted in internal Secret Service investigations and ongoing probes by the House. The report outlines serious deficiencies across various levels of planning, communication, security, and resource allocation leading up to the shooting incident in Butler, Pennsylvania.

“The consequences of those failures were dire,” stated Senate Homeland Security Chairman Gary Peters, a Democrat from Michigan.

Investigators identified a lack of clear command structure among the Secret Service and other security agencies, as well as an absence of coverage plans for the area from which the shooter attacked. Security personnel were using different radio channels, resulting in missed communications. An untrained drone operator also struggled to communicate due to technical issues with his equipment.

Peters described the situation as a “multi-step game of telephone,” undermining effective coordination among security officials.

Alarmingly, the report reveals that the Secret Service received notification of an individual on the roof about two minutes before the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, began firing. Crooks discharged eight rounds aimed at Trump, who was speaking less than 150 yards away. Trump suffered a minor injury from a bullet or fragment, while one rally attendee was killed and two others injured before the gunman was neutralized by a Secret Service counter-sniper.

A local law enforcement officer sent out a radio warning regarding the armed individual just 22 seconds prior to Crooks opening fire. However, this critical information failed to reach the key Secret Service officials during the investigation.

One Secret Service counter-sniper reported observing police officers rushing towards the building where the shooter was located but noted that they did not consider notifying anyone to evacuate Trump from the stage.

This report comes shortly after the Secret Service issued a brief document summarizing key points from an incomplete internal review regarding the shooting incident. Additionally, a bipartisan House task force is scheduled to conduct hearings in the coming days to further investigate the shooting, which was not the first assassination attempt against Trump this month; earlier, a man with a rifle was apprehended at Trump’s Florida golf club.

The ongoing investigations have continued to uncover a significant breakdown in security measures surrounding the former president, prompting lawmakers to call for comprehensive reforms to ensure that such failures do not recur.

“This was the result of multiple human failures of the Secret Service,” asserted Republican Senator Rand Paul from Kentucky, the committee’s ranking member.

In light of these findings, senators have recommended that the Secret Service establish clearer roles and responsibilities for protective events, including appointing a single individual responsible for approving all security plans. Many officials involved in this incident denied responsibility for the security lapses, often deflecting blame onto others.

Committee interviews revealed that advance agents typically made planning and security decisions collectively, without a designated individual in charge, according to the report.

Communication with local law enforcement was also found to be inadequate. Local authorities had voiced concerns about security coverage for the building where the shooter took aim only two days before the event, indicating they lacked the manpower to secure the area indefinitely. Investigators noted conflicting testimonies from Secret Service agents regarding who was responsible for addressing those security concerns.

Furthermore, last week’s internal Secret Service review highlighted various communication failures, including a lack of clear instructions to local law enforcement and ignored vulnerabilities that left Trump unprotected from potential sniper fire. Some agents exhibited a troubling “complacency,” according to the findings.

“This was a failure on the part of the United States Secret Service. We must hold ourselves accountable for the events of July 13 and utilize the lessons learned to avoid future failures,” stated Ronald Rowe Jr., the acting director of the agency, in response to the report.

Beyond defining responsibilities, the senators urged the agency to revamp its communication protocols at protective events and improve intelligence sharing. They also called on Congress to assess whether additional resources might be required.

Disagreements have arisen between Democrats and Republicans regarding funding for the Secret Service following these failures. While a forthcoming spending bill proposes an extra $231 million for the agency, many Republicans emphasize the necessity for an internal overhaul first before increasing financial support.

“This is a clear management problem,” asserted Republican Senator Ron Johnson from Wisconsin, who is the lead Republican on the Homeland panel’s investigations subcommittee.