Secret Service missed ‘multiple opportunities’ to prevent Trump assassination attempt: watchdog
Secret Service Missed Multiple Opportunities to Prevent Trump Assassination Attempt: DHS Watchdog Report
Secret Service missed multiple opportunities to prevent - The U.S. Secret Service was criticized for failing to act decisively during the July 13, 2024, assassination attempt on Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, according to a newly released 64-page report by the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General (OIG). The document outlines how the agency overlooked several key moments to thwart the attack, which left Trump grazed in the ear and a spectator fatally shot. The watchdog’s findings underscore a pattern of security oversights, with the Secret Service missing multiple opportunities to intercept the threat before it materialized.
Communication Delays and Coordination Gaps
One of the report’s central critiques highlights a communication breakdown that prevented timely coordination between the Secret Service and local law enforcement. Despite the suspect, Thomas Matthew Crooks, using a drone to survey the rally stage hours before the attack, the agency did not alert on-site teams to the potential danger. The OIG noted that the Secret Service’s reliance on multiple command posts created a fragmented response, with critical intelligence being shared sporadically. This lack of seamless communication meant agents were not fully aware of the threat’s proximity, allowing the attack to proceed without immediate intervention.
“The Secret Service’s communication system was inoperable, with too many command posts disrupting the flow of real-time information,” stated Paul Eckloff, a former Secret Service agent, in an interview with Fox News Digital.
The report further revealed that agents in the control room received only a limited number of messages from the field, failing to recognize the urgency of Crooks’ movements. As a result, the protective detail was not warned to adjust the speech schedule or relocate Trump from the stage. The Secret Service’s failure to verify that campaign staff had moved trucks to block the suspect’s line of sight compounded the problem, leaving Trump vulnerable to the gunfire.
Drones and Physical Vulnerabilities
Another significant oversight involved the detection of Crooks’ drone. The suspect used the unmanned aircraft to monitor the rally stage less than three hours before the attack, but the Secret Service’s operators did not identify its presence. The drone remained visible for nearly nine minutes before it launched, scanning the area from 102 feet above the ground. Although a counter-drone system was deployed, it malfunctioned, creating a window for the suspect to execute his plan unnoticed. The Secret Service missed multiple opportunities to secure the site, including implementing measures to block the rooftop’s unobstructed view of the stage.
Eckloff emphasized that the Secret Service should have anticipated the risk of using the AGR building as a vantage point. “The agency didn’t take sufficient steps to secure the perimeter, which is a key element of preventing such attacks,” he said. The report’s authors noted that pre-event walkthroughs identified the AGR complex as a potential weakness, yet no effective countermeasures were in place to address it. This systemic gap allowed Crooks to maintain a clear line of sight for 155 yards, which was critical to the success of the attack.
Aftermath and Calls for Accountability
The attack resulted in Trump being grazed in the ear and a spectator, Corey Comperatore, being fatally shot. Two additional attendees suffered serious injuries but survived. While Secret Service agents quickly evacuated Trump to safety, the incident sparked renewed scrutiny of the agency’s protocols. The OIG report underscores that the Secret Service missed multiple opportunities to prevent the attack, citing failures in intelligence sharing, equipment reliability, and response coordination.
Following the event, two individuals filed a lawsuit against the federal government, alleging preventable failures by the Secret Service. The legal action emphasizes how the agency’s internal processes—particularly its handling of threats and communication strategies—were inadequate. The watchdog’s findings suggest that these lapses were not isolated incidents but part of a broader pattern of inefficiency within the Secret Service’s operations