Senate Report Highlights Significant Secret Service Failures
The Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs has released a comprehensive 133-page report detailing the numerous failures of the Secret Service during the first assassination attempt on President Trump on July 13, 2024. As stated by Senator Rand Paul, the findings reveal a series of significant failures by the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) and a shocking dereliction of duty. The USSS not only failed to ensure the American Glass Research (AGR) roof was adequately covered, but they were also aware of a suspicious individual with a rangefinder for at least 27 minutes and did not delay proceedings or remove former President Trump from the stage, even after being informed that the suspicious individual was on the roof of the AGR building.
Advance Warning of a Threat Against President Trump
The Senate Report reveals that the Lead Advance Agent for the Secret Service was informed in advance of the July 13th rally that there was "credible intelligence" of a threat against President Trump. The agent was told that USSS counter snipers would be assigned to the rally due to this intelligence. However, despite this advance warning, the Lead Advance Agent recorded in a security planning document that there was "no adverse intelligence" concerning Trump’s visit to Butler, PA. This is despite the fact that the Committee was told by numerous USSS personnel that any credible threat or intelligence would appear in the planning document. The Lead Advance Agent also failed to inform her superiors or other USSS personnel involved with planning and securing the Butler rally that she was told of a threat.
Failure of Communication and Coordination
Moreover, on July 10, 2024, the USSS Pittsburgh Office sent a letter to the FBI requesting any intelligence related to former President Trump and the July 13 rally in Butler, PA. According to the Senate Report, the FBI did not respond to the Pittsburgh Office’s letter or share any intelligence information with the USSS in response to the letter. Then, on the morning of July 13th, another USSS Intelligence Agent called USSS headquarters and asked if any adverse intelligence had been developed concerning the visit. Despite the earlier warning that was given to the Lead Advance Agent, USSS headquarters told the intelligence agent that no information had been received.
Failures on the Day of the Assassination Attempt
In addition to the significant intelligence failures preceding the July 13th Rally, there were numerous failures that transpired on the day of the assassination attempt on President Trump. USSS personnel were notified of a suspicious person with a rangefinder (Thomas Matthew Crooks) around the AGR building nearly a full half-hour (approximately 27 minutes) before the shooting. This was relayed to the USSS Security Room at approximately 5:44 pm and to the USSS Counter Sniper Team Leader at 5:45 pm. For context, Crooks began firing on President Trump at 6:11 pm.
Despite this, the USSS Lead Advance Agent, Site Agent, and Site Counterpart all told the Committee they did not receive any of this crucial information and therefore did not know local law enforcement had identified a suspicious person with a rangefinder – and that those local officers later lost track of this individual – until after shots were fired. This complete lack of communication and coordination is repeated throughout the Senate Report.
Key Failures by the Secret Service
The report lists a summary of "Key Failures" by the Secret Service leading up to and including the events of that fateful day. These include the failure to clearly define responsibilities for planning and security at the July 13th rally, failure to ensure the AGR Building was effectively covered, failure to effectively coordinate with state and local law enforcement, failure to provide resources for the July 13 rally that could have enhanced security, and failure to communicate information about the suspicious person to key personnel, and failure to take action to ensure the safety of former President Trump.
Bottom Line
The numerous failures by the Secret Service are both alarming and compounding in their effect. The Lead Advance Agent’s failures appear to be so great as to be almost constant - including her unexplained failure to share the advance intelligence of a credible threat with the rest of the SS detail on July 13th. The total lack of dissemination of the critical information regarding USSS headquarters’ knowledge of a credible threat to President Trump is both inexplicable and inexcusable.
The level of incompetence by the USSS, the Advance Lead Agent along with the deafening silence from the FBI appears to be so great, so totally overwhelming, that it would appear that the only way it could actually be accomplished is through careful planning. This is a damning report - and one that we’re still wading through. We expect more damning revelations will be forthcoming.
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