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Secret Service releases report detailing changes enacted since Trump shooting at Pa. rally

Megan Guza, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on

Published in News & Features

The U.S. Secret Service, in a report released Friday, indicated officials have put into place numerous reforms in the aftermath of the failed assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

The report, a seven-page summary of a larger classified document, lists 11 operational changes and lays out the numerous breakdowns that led to the shooting — most of which have already come to light amid other probes into the July 13 shooting.

The attempted assassination by 20-year-old Thomas Crooks, who was killed by a Secret Service counter-sniper, thrust the agency into the international spotlight. Trump and two spectators were wounded by the gunfire, and rally-goer Corey Comperatore was killed.

The report indicated that discipline could still be meted out to agents as the internal investigation found “several instances of behaviors and acts by multiple employees that warrant review for corrective counseling and, potentially, disciplinary action.”

It continued: “All individuals found in violation of policies will be held accountable. Any disciplinary measures will be imposed to promote the efficiency of the Secret Service and to encourage behaviors and principles that contribute to the success of the agency’s integrated mission.”

The report, which is the final product of the agency’s “mission assurance” inquiry, detailed the myriad deficiencies that have already become widely known in the three months since the shooting.

Among them: Secret Service personnel failed to ensure that local law enforcement agencies were represented in the Butler Farm Show grounds designated “security room,” and the counter-snipers’ failure to pick up a radio that would have given them a direct line of communication with local officers.

 

The findings also blamed the Secret Service for its inadequate “dispatch of personnel” to the AGR building upon learning of the reports of a suspicious person with a range finder.

“Two state and local agencies supporting the Butler rally with prior experience working with the Secret Service observed that agency planning for the Butler rally lacked detail, cohesion, and clear understanding of who was in charge, all of which contributed to the overall lack of coordination,” the report noted.

The report also cited a lack of coordination with campaign staff, pointing out a Secret Service advance team identified a need for more volunteers, water and coolers because of the forecast high temperatures that day. According to the report, the temperature reached the predicted 90 degrees, and there were 251 requests for medical assistance leading up to the shooting.

“The lack of coordination with campaign staff on these issues caused a higher-than-expected proportion of security personnel to be diverted into assisting with medical responses,” the report said.

Many of the 11 reforms listed in the report have been made public, including the Secret Service providing the highest levels of protection to both candidates and an expanded use of drones.

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©2024 PG Publishing Co. Visit at post-gazette.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

 

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