Secret Service Details Failures Ahead of First Trump Assassination Attempt

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Facts

  • A preliminary report released by the US Secret Service on Friday laid out a raft of failures that led up to the July 13 assassination attempt of former Pres. Donald Trump.[1]
  • The 2024 Republican candidate for president was speaking at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, before shots rang out and he was wounded in the ear. A man in the crowd was killed, while several others were injured.[2]
  • The shooter, 20-year-old Thomas Crooks, let off eight rounds in Trump's direction before being killed by Secret Service counter-snipers. At a press conference releasing the Secret Service report, Ronald Rowe Jr., the agency’s acting director, described the event as a 'failure.'[3]
  • 'This was a failure on the part of the United States Secret Service,' Rowe said. 'It's important that we hold ourselves to account for the failures of July 13th and that we use the lessons learned to make sure that we do not have another failure like this again.'[3]
  • One of the primary failures outlined in the five-page report was 'communications deficiencies' between the Secret Service and local law enforcement prior to the Butler rally, as well as on the day itself — including how teams on the ground used contrasting radio frequencies.[1]
  • 'The failure of personnel to broadcast via radio the description of the assailant, or vital information received from local law enforcement regarding a suspicious individual on the roof of the AGR complex, to all federal personnel at the Butler site inhibited the collective awareness of all Secret Service personnel,' the report said.[1]
  • It added this lapse was most acutely felt by Trump's security detail, who it determined would've been able to take protective action sooner had they known about a suspicious assailant on a nearby rooftop.[1]

Sources: [1]US Secret Service, [2]Guardian and [3]Associated Press.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by CNN. Unfortunately, as pointed out by the agency's acting director, there was a certain level of complacency that arose in the Secret Service's ranks. Recognizing these failures, however, is the first step in ensuring they never happen again.
  • Narrative B, as provided by FOX News. There were a number of monumental security lapses, including officers and Secret Service agents communicating via mobile phones and on differing radio channels, leading to vital information being siloed. There needs to be serious repercussions, not merely lip service, for those responsible.

Predictions