One year ago, a 20-year-old man climbed to a rooftop in Butler, Pa., and attempted to assassinate President Donald Trump. During that rally, Thomas Crooks shot at the president, grazing his right ear as he addressed the crowd.
Secret Service agents swarmed Trump. He eventually rose to his feet with a raised fist in the air. Firefighter Cory Comperatore was killed as he threw himself in front of his family to protect them. Two others were injured.
Now, a report released on Saturday from the Government Accountability Office revealed the Secret Service had intelligence in relation to a threat 10 days before the Butler rally. On July 8, 2024, the USSS held a briefing on a classified threat towards Trump, yet did not share with those involved in securing the site. On July 9, 2024, an official in the Donald Trump Protective Division shared threat information with the lead advance agent. However, other members of the site’s security team did not receive this information.
“One year ago, a series of bad decisions and bureaucratic handicaps led to one of the most shocking moments in political history,” Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said in a statement. “The Secret Service’s failure on July 13th was the culmination of years of mismanagement and came after the Biden administration denied requests for enhanced security to protect President Trump. Americans should be grateful that President Trump survived that day and was ultimately reelected to restore common sense to our country.”
As part of the report, the GAO made eight recommendations. They recommend the Secret Service develop a resource to provide agents with readily available information, so they know what tasks to complete during protectee events; that it changes its policy to require threat information be proactively shared internally; and implement a process that incorporates risk-based decision-making for resource allocation. The report stated the Department of Homeland Security agrees with the recommendations.
On Thursday, July 10, Deputy Director Matt Quinn told CBS News six agents received unpaid suspensions following Butler event. He said officials suspended them without pay or benefits for 10 to 42 days and reassigned all to restricted roles when they returned.
