An independent commission investigating the attempted assassination of Donald Trump during a election rally in Pennsylvania criticized the Secret Service, describing it as “bureaucratic, complacent and static.”
The committee’s 52-page report, released Thursday, identified specific deficiencies at the July 13 rally in Butler and deeper problems within Secret Service culture. According to the report, at least two Secret Service agents were aware of the gunman. Thomas Crooks‘ suspicious behavior but did not communicate it effectively.
“The Secret Service must be the world’s primary protective government organization,” the report said. “The events that occurred in Butler on July 13 demonstrate that this is not currently the case.”
Former Homeland Security Secretary’s 4-member panel Janet NapolitanoFormer Acting Attorney General Mark Filip, former Homeland Security Advisor Frances Townsend and former Maryland State Police Superintendent David Mitchell have accused the agency’s staff of having a “lack of disturbing critical thinking” before and after the attack.
They identified several major failures, including the absence of a single Secret Service agent responsible for the security of the gathering, the complacency of some agents involved in securing the event, and the lack of clear instructions from the Secret Service to the local officials who assisted them. The panel also noted the lack of experience of some officers assigned to critical tasks.
The timeline of the event provided in the report revealed a series of missteps. Local law enforcement first spotted Crooks at 4:26 p.m. when he entered a restricted area near a building called the AGR building, which had a direct line of sight to the rally scene. However, the Secret Service did not become aware of Crooks’ presence until 5:44 p.m. and he was not apprehended until 6:10 p.m., by which time he had already fired eight shots at Trump before being killed by a secret service agent.
The committee’s recommendations range from specific changes, such as implementing aerial surveillance at every outdoor event, to institutional changes, such as prioritizing continuing education and establishing a leadership training program. The panel also highlighted the troubling way agents allowed the upper half of Trump’s body to be exposed during the incident, recommending additional training to properly remove a person they are protecting from danger.
The shooter, Thomas Crooks, fired at Trump, grazing the former president’s ear and killing a man in the crowd, Corey Comperatore.