Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump with his bloodied face is assisted by the Secret Service as multiple shots rang out during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania, U.S., July 13, 2024.
Brendan Mcdermid | Reuters
The U.S. Secret Service said Friday it was to blame for the near-assassination of former President Donald Trump at a July campaign rally, pointing to “complacency” by some of its agents and communication gaps with local police.
“As I’ve said, this was a failure on the part of the United States Secret Service,” said Ronald Rowe, the agency’s acting director, at a press conference.
It was the first time since the July 13 shooting that the agency has presented the public with a full picture of the internal breakdowns that led to the attack, which left a member of the audience dead.
The Secret Service was chiefly responsible for crafting the security plan at the presidential campaign rally near Butler, Pennsylvania, where assassin Thomas Crooks was able to open fire at Trump before being shot dead.
But the agency “did not give clear guidance or direction to our local law enforcement partners,” Rowe said, and “there were communication deficiencies between law enforcement personnel at the site.”
Trump’s ear was grazed by a bullet. One rally attendee positioned behind Trump, Corey Comperatore, was killed, and two others were critically injured.
Line-of-sight issues at the Republican nominee’s rally site were known about but not effectively addressed in advance, Rowe went on.
He added: “While some members of the advance team were very diligent, there was complacency on the part of others that led to a breach of security protocols with respect to accountability.”
Those employees will be held accountable, Rowe said.
Rowe took over the Secret Service after former Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned from the agency on July 23, just 10 days after the assassination attempt.
The FBI is investigating another apparent assassination attempt against Trump that took place Sunday at Trump’s golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida.
A Secret Service agent on that day opened fire after spotting an apparent rifle poking through a tree line on the edge of the golf course. A suspect, 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh, was arrested later that day and subsequently charged with two federal gun crimes.
Rowe in Friday’s remarks pointed to the golf club incident as he called for a “paradigm shift” in how the Secret Service operates in order to combat an “evolving” threat level.
This is developing news. Please check back for updates.