Senate Report: Secret Service Failures to Blame for Attempt on Trump's Life
A bipartisan US Senate report released Wednesday determined that failures of the Secret Service ahead of the July rally, where GOP presidential nominee and former Pres. Donald Trump was grazed by a bullet, were 'foreseeable' and 'preventable.'...
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Facts
- A bipartisan US Senate report released Wednesday determined that failures of the Secret Service ahead of the July rally, where GOP presidential nominee and former Pres. Donald Trump was grazed by a bullet, were 'foreseeable' and 'preventable.'[1][2]
- The 94-page interim report — part of a joint investigation between the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations — cited five failures that 'directly contributed' to the assassination attempt.[3]
- The report claimed there were failures to define planning and security responsibilities, ensure the building where Trump was shot from was 'effectively covered,' coordinate with state and local law enforcement, provide resources that could've 'enhanced security,' and communicate information to key personnel to ensure Trump's safety.[3]
- The report also claimed that individual Secret Service personnel denied personal responsibility, and held different opinions on final accountability for failures in planning and security.[4][5]
- Although Trump suffered a non-life-threatening injury to his ear, rally attendee Corey Comperatore was killed during the assassination attempt, and several other attendees suffered critical injuries.[6][7]
Sources: [1]BBC News, [2]Newsweek, [3]hsgac.senate.gov, [4]NBC, [5]The Epoch Times, [6]New York Post and [7]CNN.
Narratives
- Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Townhall. Despite the acting director of the Secret Service reassuring the public that his agency is capable of providing adequate protection to Trump and other high-profile Americans, the details of this report paint a different picture. The swath of people to blame is so wide, it's probably time for a major turnover and injection of more competent staff, who will ensure nothing like the Butler shooting ever happens again.
- Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by NBC. The Secret Service doesn't need an overhaul in personnel, it needs to adjust its approach to protection from a reactive model to one that's better prepared ahead of time to prevent incidents like this from taking place. Trump's security has been increased, and further changes will be introduced to the Secret Service's strategies and processes.
