A scathing Senate committee report has laid bare a series of preventable failures by the U.S. Secret Service that culminated in the near-assassination of former President Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania campaign rally on July 13, 2024. The report, released by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, paints a damning picture of an agency plagued by communication breakdowns, ignored security requests, and inadequate disciplinary measures, raising serious questions about its ability to protect high-profile figures in an increasingly volatile political climate.
The committee, chaired by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky), conducted an exhaustive investigation, reviewing over 75,000 pages of law enforcement documents and interviewing 17 Secret Service personnel. The findings reveal a “cascade of preventable failures” that allowed 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks to scale a building outside the rally’s security perimeter in Butler, Pennsylvania, and open fire with an AR-style rifle. The attack killed one person, critically injured two others, and grazed Trump’s right ear. Crooks was killed by law enforcement at the scene, but his motives remain unclear, leaving investigators without answers a year later.
The report highlights a troubling pattern of ignored warnings and mismanagement. Despite at least four requests from Trump’s Secret Service detail and campaign for additional security measures, including countersnipers, the agency failed to act. Sen. Paul, appearing on CBS’s Face the Nation, accused former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle of misleading Congress by claiming no such requests were denied. Cheatle, in a statement, denied the accusation, asserting that she relied on information from agency personnel and that her testimony was accurate. However, the committee’s findings contradict her claims, exposing a dysfunctional chain of command where accountability was consistently deflected.
Disciplinary actions against Secret Service personnel were equally contentious. Six agents faced unpaid leave, with suspensions ranging from 10 to 42 days. The unnamed site agent received a one-day suspension for policy violations and a 42-day suspension for negligence, alongside reassignment. Other personnel, including the special agent in charge and lead agent in the Pittsburgh office, received 14-day suspensions, while a team leader in the uniformed division faced a 35-day suspension and restricted duty. Critics, including Sen. Paul, argue these measures were insufficient, failing to address the systemic issues that enabled the attack.
The report also corroborates findings from an independent panel commissioned by the Department of Homeland Security, which identified critical lapses in planning and execution. Senior supervisors assigned an inexperienced agent to lead security preparations and failed to address vulnerabilities, such as an unsecured building that provided Crooks a clear line of sight. The panel noted that Nick Menster, a senior supervisor on Trump’s detail, was not informed of potential line-of-sight issues by site agent Myosoty Perez, nor did he follow up to ensure the building was secured.
Current Secret Service Director Sean Curran acknowledged the agency’s shortcomings, stating that “substantive reforms” have been implemented since the incident. Yet, the report’s findings underscore a broader crisis of confidence in the agency’s operations. As political tensions rise, the Secret Service’s ability to adapt and prevent future failures will be under intense scrutiny. For now, the Butler shooting serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of complacency in the face of clear and present dangers.
