Task force on Trump shooting faults Secret Service communication

WASHINGTON — A congressional task force investigating the near-assassination of Donald Trump on July 13 has concluded inadequate communications between the Secret Service and local law enforcement were key to security failures ahead of the shooting at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

“Put simply, the evidence obtained by the Task Force to date shows the tragic events of July 13 in Butler were preventable,” Chairman Mike Kelly, a Republican who represents Butler, posted on social media.

The lack of coordination between federal agents and local officials is central to the findings of the interim report released Monday, which takes note of insufficient preparation ahead of the rally.

“For instance, USSS did not give clear guidance to the relevant state and local agencies about managing areas outside the secure event perimeter, and there was no joint meeting on the day of the rally between USSS and all state and local law enforcement agencies assisting USSS,” the report says.

Among the major findings: the nearby American Glass Research complex, from which the shooter took aim at Trump, was not properly secured; there was no unified command post to facilitate communications between Secret Service and local officials; and critical information about the shooter was communicated too slowly.

The task force’s report places greater emphasis on the lack of coordination with local officials in comparison to findings of other entities. The report also credits local law enforcement for taking the first shot at would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks, although that round missed. The Secret Service delivered the lethal shot and Crooks was found in the autopsy to have only one bullet wound.

The report’s conclusions are consistent with testimony at a hearing on Sept. 26, when local law officials and security experts discussed the failures of communications that led to failures at the rally.

The findings are based off the hearing testimony, as well as 23 transcribed interviews with local law enforcement officials and thousands of pages of documents from local, state and federal authorities, according to a statement.

The interim report is the latest in a series from multiple groups, including an internal Secret Service report; an investigation by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs; and an independent review panel that issued its findings last week.

Unlike those other groups, the bipartisan task force does not make explicit recommendations on a path forward, although a need for communications improvements are strongly implied.

Other entities have found a need for major changes within the Secret Service, including new leadership from outside the agency.

The interim report indicates the task force has expanded its jurisdiction to examine another apparent failed attempt on Trump on Sept. 15 near Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach, Fla. That would take the investigation a step further than other inquiries.

Congress included an extra $231 million for Secret Service protection accounts in a 12-week spending bill passed in September.