WASHINGTON — A new bipartisan Senate investigation has unveiled significant lapses in Secret Service protocols prior to the July rally for former President Donald Trump, where a gunman opened fire. The report, released Wednesday, states that these failures were “foreseeable, preventable, and directly related to the assassination attempt” that day.
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee’s interim report echoes findings from internal reviews and a concurrent House investigation, revealing widespread shortcomings in planning, communication, security measures, and resource allocation ahead of the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania.
“The consequences of these failures were dire,” asserted Michigan Sen. Gary Peters, chairman of the committee.
The investigation highlighted a lack of clear command structure among security agencies and no strategic plan to secure the area where the assailant took position. The operational disconnect included multiple radio channels, leading to critical communication breakdowns, while an inexperienced drone operator struggled with equipment issues.
According to Peters, communications among security officials resembled a “multi-step game of telephone.”
The report noted that the Secret Service was warned about an individual on the roof just two minutes before shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire, targeting Trump from less than 150 yards away. The former president sustained injuries in the attack, which resulted in one fatality and two injuries among attendees before the assailant was neutralized by a counter-sniper.
Approximately 22 seconds prior to the gunfire, a local officer alerted security to the armed individual, but this vital information failed to reach key Secret Service members involved.
Testimonies from Secret Service personnel indicated that they noticed officers rushing towards the building but did not communicate the need to evacuate Trump from the stage.
The Senate’s findings emerge shortly after the Secret Service issued a summary of their internal review, and ahead of a Thursday hearing by a House task force investigating both the July incident and a subsequent assassination attempt earlier this month involving a weapon-wielding suspect on Trump’s Florida golf course.
Each investigation has revealed alarming failures in the security measures surrounding the former president, prompting lawmakers to demand deeper inquiries to prevent future incidents.
“This situation resulted from numerous human errors within the Secret Service,” remarked Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, a committee member.
The Senate has recommended clear delineation of roles and responsibilities before any event, including designating one individual with authority over security plans. Many officials involved claimed no accountability for the failures, shifting blame to others.
Interviews indicated that advance agents perceived security and planning decisions as collective efforts, lacking clear individual responsibility, according to the report.
Furthermore, communication with local law enforcement was inadequate. Just days prior, local authorities had expressed concerns regarding security provisions for the venue, indicating insufficient manpower to secure the area. However, conflicting accounts emerged from Secret Service agents regarding the responsibility for that security.
An internal review by the Secret Service highlighted multiple communication failures, a lack of clear guidance to local authorities, unaddressed vulnerabilities, and an alarming degree of complacency among agents involved in the rally’s security.
“This was a failure on the part of the United States Secret Service. We must hold ourselves accountable for the events of July 13th and apply the lessons learned to ensure such failures do not recur,” stated Ronald Rowe Jr., acting director of the agency following the report’s release.
In addition to redefining responsibilities, the senators urged the agency to overhaul its communication methods during protective events and enhance intelligence sharing capabilities. They also called for Congress to assess whether further resources are necessary.
Opinions differ among lawmakers regarding additional funding for the Secret Service post-failures. A spending bill set for approval includes $231 million for the agency, though several Republicans advocate for a thorough internal reform before increasing funds.
“This is fundamentally a management issue,” commented Republican Sen. Ron Johnson, top Republican on the investigations subcommittee.
