Six Secret Service agents have been reportedly suspended without pay following a disciplinary review related to the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump during a 2024 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The internal investigation concluded the officers failed to uphold key security protocols during the July event where 20-year-old Thomas Crooks opened fire on Trump, wounding him slightly and fatally striking an attendee, reports Politico.
The suspended agents have been reassigned to limited or administrative roles.
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle stepped down shortly after the incident as the agency came under intense scrutiny.
A separate independent probe, initiated by the Biden administration, pointed to major communication breakdowns and a “troubling” lack of judgment by field personnel during the rally.
The Butler incident, followed by a second attempt on Trump’s life at his Florida golf resort weeks later, prompted bipartisan calls for an overhaul of agency protocols.
Lawmakers in both chambers demanded greater accountability and comprehensive reforms to the agency’s event management and response structure, POLITICO adds.
A major point of failure, according to the internal report, was the disorganized coordination with local authorities.
While there had been sightings of the shooter prior to the attack, critical intelligence never reached Trump’s security team.
Investigators found that communication among officers occurred via a disjointed stream of texts, emails, radio chatter, and phone calls, instead of a unified command system.
With Trump back in office, he appointed Sean Curran, who had been part of his security detail during the Butler attack, as the new agency director. In a statement, Curran stressed that the Secret Service had undertaken extensive internal reforms to prevent such failures in the future.
“I have kept my experience on July 13 top of mind, and the agency has taken many steps to ensure such an event can never be repeated in the future,” he said. “Nothing is more important to the Secret Service than the safety and security of our protectees,” POLITICO adds.
Trump, speaking to Fox News, acknowledged that “mistakes” were made but expressed confidence in the agency’s renewed direction. “They had a bad day,” he said.
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