New assassination-attempt report: Secret Service knew of threat to Trump 10 days before
A new report on the Butler, Pa., assassination attempt on President Trump reveals that the Secret Service received classified intelligence regarding a threat to Trump’s life 10 days before the rally, but failed to share the information with other key agencies.
The damning report comes from the federal Government Accountability Office (GAO) one year after a gunman’s bullet grazed Trump’s right ear during a campaign rally speech. The shooter, Thomas Crooks, killed attendee Cory Comperatore as he was protecting his family, while two others were injured.
According to Fox News, the report also identified a series of procedural and planning mistakes, including “misallocation of resources, lack of training and pervasive communication failures” that led to the near assassination.
The report had been ordered by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.
“One year ago, a series of bad decisions and bureaucratic handicaps led to one of the most shocking moments in political history,” Grassley said. “The Secret Service’s failure on July 13 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.”
“There were mistakes made, and that shouldn’t have happened,” Trump told his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, in an interview on Fox News.
Ten days before the event, high-level Secret Service officials were briefed on a classified threat to Trump. “Once those officials reviewed the intelligence, they could have then requested that personnel within their chain of command be briefed on the specific information,” notes the report. But officials failed to share this information, leaving federal and local law enforcement entities planning the event unaware of the threat, including members of the Donald Trump Protective Division. Had they known of the threat, local law enforcement officials would have requested additional assets for the Butler rally, they told the GAO
Also, the Secret Service agent who was responsible for “identif[ying] site vulnerabilities” was new to her role, and this was “her first time planning and securing a large outdoor event as the site agent.”
Fox News reported that Secret Service officials denied the Donald Trump Protective Division’s request for enhanced counter Unmanned Aerial Surveillance (cUAS) equipment at the Butler event, as “these resources had already been allocated for the Republican and Democratic National Conventions.” Fortunately, senior officials with knowledge of the threat against Trump stepped in to approve counter sniper assets for the rally, a decision which was described as “inconsistent” with agency practices for making resource decisions.” Absent this last-minute decision, Trump “would likely not have received the counter sniper assets that ultimately took out [Crooks],” the GAO wrote.
As WND reported, six of the Secret Service agents on duty in Butler were punished. During an interview with CBS, Matt Quinn, the agency’s deputy director, affirmed that the agents were suspended for periods ranging from 10 to 42 days, during which they were not paid.
The new report comes out as Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., approved a subpoena to the FBI and Justice Department for more information on the Butler assassination attempt.