A new report has found the US Secret Service responsible for significant security lapses during an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania on July 13. The attack, which resulted in one fatality and multiple injuries, has sparked widespread criticism of the agency’s handling of the event.
An internal review, released on Friday, revealed that Secret Service agents failed to utilize technology that could have identified the attacker when he flew a drone over the rally site hours before the incident. The report, as cited by Xinhua News Agency, outlined several critical failures by the agency’s advance team, particularly in their coordination with state and local law enforcement prior to the attack.
One of the key oversights was the failure to instruct local police snipers to secure a nearby rooftop, a decision that allowed the suspect to position himself undetected. Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, who resigned in the aftermath of the attack, faced intense scrutiny from lawmakers during a Congressional hearing, where she was questioned about the agency’s inability to safeguard the area effectively.
At a news briefing on Friday, Acting Director Ronald Rowe acknowledged a “lack of clarity” in the Secret Service’s security planning for the rally. According to the report, shortly before shots were fired into the crowd, several individuals had spotted the suspect climbing onto the roof and alerted local police. However, Trump’s protective detail was unaware of the police search for the suspicious person, highlighting a breakdown in communication between the Secret Service and local law enforcement.
The report also revealed that agents and local authorities were operating on different radio frequencies and stationed in separate locations, further impeding their ability to share critical information quickly.
“It’s important that we hold ourselves accountable for the failures of July 13th, and that we use the lessons learned to ensure we do not have another failure like this again,” Rowe said during the briefing.
Following the assassination attempt, the Secret Service allocated additional resources to Trump’s security, exceeding the typical provisions for someone in his position. On Sunday, another potential threat was thwarted when a man was arrested after a Secret Service agent spotted a rifle barrel protruding from a fence at the Trump International Golf Club in South Florida. Trump was unharmed in what appeared to be the second assassination attempt within two months.
In response to these incidents, the US House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill on Friday aimed at strengthening Secret Service protection for presidential nominees and their vice presidential running mates. The legislation mandates that the Secret Service apply the same security standards used for sitting presidents and vice presidents to major candidates in future elections.
