Review of Trump rally shooting finds 'deep flaws' in Secret Service

An independent review of the July 13 assassination attempt on former President Trump offered a critical analysis of the Secret Service, said the episode “reveal(s) deep flaws” in the agency and called for new leadership for the service. protection of the country.

“The Panel’s work identified a series of specific failures and malfunctions that enabled the assassination attempt on 13 July. The Panel also identified several deeper concerns. Taken together, these issues reveal deep flaws in the Secret Service, including some that appear to be systemic or cultural,” a group of four national and state law enforcement officials wrote in a 52-page report.

The report, which includes former Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano among its authors, was the result of the first external review of the Butler, Pennsylvania rally shooting, which killed one rally attendee, pierced Trump’s ear and injured two others. .

While a previous internal review of the Secret Service reached many of the same conclusions in terms of planning issues leading up to the rally, Thursday’s report looked more broadly at the Secret Service and was often critical of its internal culture.

The group called for “a new leadership team with significant experience outside the Service”.

Kimberly Cheatle, who was director of the Secret Service at the time of the assassination attempt, resigned from her post after a disastrous appearance before Congress in which she refused to answer a series of questions lawmakers had about the attack.

Since then, the agency has been led by his deputy, Ronald Rowe, another former Secret Service leader.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas praised Rowe on Thursday.

“We will fully consider the Panel’s recommendations and take the necessary steps to advance the Secret Service’s protective mission. These actions will respond not only to the security failures that led to the July 13, 2024 assassination attempt, but, more importantly, to what the Independent Review Panel describes as fundamental, systemic issues that underlie those failures,” Mayorkas said. in a statement.

“I congratulate Acting Director Rowe for his leadership and for proactively making security improvements, including those informed by the Secret Service’s internal Mission Assurance Review.”

Rowe also said he would review the panel’s recommendations, adding, “However, we are not waiting to act,” and highlighting the steps the agency has already taken.

“We have already significantly improved our readiness, operational and organizational communications and implemented enhanced protective operations for the former president and other protectees. This includes making changes to better integrate with our state and local law enforcement partners and increasing our protections with support from the U.S. Department of Defense and other agencies,” he said in a statement.

Regarding the planning leading up to Butler, the report criticized numerous oversights, including a “failure on the part of experienced, high-level Secret Service personnel to assume the necessary responsibility regarding security planning and execution at Butler.”

The group also saw “a troubling lack of critical thinking on the part of the Secret Service” that led to the attack when considering the possible risks faced by its protégés.

And they also criticized what they called “an ineffective ‘Speak Up’ practice… that did not sufficiently lead numerous agents who knew Crooks as a suspicious person before he began shooting to ensure that information was passed on to the former president Trump. leadership.”

The report concluded that at Butler and elsewhere, as the Secret Service plans events, there has been poor communication and a “lack of cohesion” between the agency and the state and local authorities with which it partners.

At Butler, this included the failure of everyone to be on a single communications system, a technical challenge that Rowe previously said would not be easily resolved.

The report concluded that the Secret Service needs an integrated communications system as well as “a mandate that all outdoor events be observed by aerial technology.”

In addition to the independent report, the Secret Service’s failures that day are also being analyzed by a House task force investigating both the Butler shooting and the subsequent foiled attempt on Trump’s life in Florida.

Rowe on Thursday laid out his own actions taken in response to the shooting and adjustments made before and after his own internal review.

“We are developing a comprehensive plan that aims to drive a fundamental transformation within the Secret Service to ensure we are adequately configured to execute our integrated dual mission of protection and complex investigations. This plan focuses on increasing and retaining agency staff, modernizing our technology and building a training plan that is sustainable now and in the future,” he said.

“We recognize that July 13th did not occur due to a lack of resources, however, our enhanced protection model implemented after July 13th requires additional people, equipment and asset capabilities. The agency is also working with Congress to increase the agency’s budget so we can make this paradigm shift a reality.”

Updated at 10:42 am

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