Independent panel investigating Trump rally shooting warns of “deep flaws” in Secret Service, calls for “fundamental reform”

Washington — President Biden appointed an independent panel to investigate the July assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. The panel concluded that the Secret Service had “deep flaws” that made the attack at the Trump campaign rally possible and recommended “fundamental reform” for the organization in order to fulfill its mandate of defending senior government officials worldwide.

A study that was made available to the public on Thursday contained the panel’s conclusions. As part of its investigation, the independent review panel found “many mistakes” that resulted in the attempted assassination of Trump, but it also discovered “deeper systemic issues that must be addressed with urgency,” according to a letter that all four of its members signed and included with the report. ****.

The members stated, “To fulfill its mission, the Secret Service as an agency needs fundamental reform.”. “The Independent Review Panel thinks another Butler can and will occur again in the absence of that reform. ****.

The panel dedicated their work to the families of James Copenhaver and David Dutch, who were injured in the shooting, and Corey Comperatore, who was killed.

In a statement, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas stated that DHS is moving forward with the protection mission of the Secret Service and will “fully consider” the panel’s recommendations.

In addition to the security lapses that resulted in the July 13, 2024, assassination attempt, he stated, “these actions will be responsive to what the Independent Review Panel describes as systemic and foundational issues that underlie those failures.”.

Acting Director of the Secret Service Ronald Rowe responded to the review by stating that the organization would review the findings and suggestions and reaffirmed its commitment to resolving the issues that resulted in the attempted assassination. According to Rowe, the Secret Service has already taken action to strengthen organizational and operational communications, readiness, and enhanced protective operations for Trump and other individuals under its protection. Additionally, he said, a plan to promote a “fundamental transformation” within the Secret Service is being developed.

“While we recognize that July 13 was not caused by a lack of resources, our improved protective model put in place following July 13 calls for more personnel, tools, and asset capabilities,” Rowe said in a statement. In order to achieve this paradigm shift and make sure that our employees have the tools they need to complete their tasks, the agency is also collaborating with Congress to raise the agency’s budget. “. .

In a subsequent message to staff, Rowe expressed concern about the “impact on agency morale” and expressed “reservations” about some of the panel’s recommendations, particularly those pertaining to a possible reorganization.

The members’ review of the July 13 rally attack revealed six shortcomings: the lack of staff to guard the roof of the so-called AGR building, from which gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks fired; the disregard for the building’s line-of-sight threat; poor communication between the Secret Service and local law enforcement; the inability of the Secret Service or law enforcement to confront the shooter, despite his being spotted more than 90 minutes before he opened fire; the neglect to notify the leaders of Trump’s information regarding the gunman; and the gunman’s use of a drone just hours before the shooting.

The group also mentioned “deeper concerns” it had regarding the Secret Service, citing “corrosive cultural attitudes” regarding resources, a “troubling lack of critical thinking” by Secret Service personnel in the days leading up to and following the assassination attempt, and a “lack of clarity” over who has security ownership of a protectee’s site.

The panel criticized the leadership of the Secret Service for what it considered to be a failure to assume responsibility for the planning and execution of security measures during the Butler rally and for what it called a “insufficiently experienced-based approach” by Trump in selecting agents to carry out crucial security-related tasks.

The study stated that the breakdowns “reveal deep flaws in the Secret Service, including some that appear to be systemic or cultural.”.

The panel recommended refocusing the Secret Service’s “core protective mission” and appointing new leadership with outside agency experience to address the problems it had identified. “. .

According to the report, “The Secret Service must be the world’s preeminent governmental protective organization.”. “As of right now, it’s not, as the events at Butler on July 13 show. ****.

Numerous flaws were found.

The report details the preparations that went into organizing the July 13 rally, starting with a July 8 kickoff meeting that the Secret Service arranged for state and local law enforcement. It also details the events that transpired prior to the gunman firing eight rounds from a semi-automatic rifle before he was shot and killed by a Secret Service countersniper.

The panel stated that the site agent designated by Trump’s detail to work with the Pittsburgh field office to carry out site advance work and security planning for the Butler rally completed his education at the Secret Service academy in 2020 before becoming a member of the former president’s detail in 2023. Additionally, according to the report, the site agent did “absolutely nothing” in comparison to Trump’s Butler rally and “minimal” advance work or security planning before the event.

A “critical security failure” has occurred, according to the panel, despite the fact that personnel were on hand to secure the AGR building, its roof, and other nearby structures.

According to the panel, there are “inconsistent and varying approaches” to the methods of communication between the Secret Service and local and state law enforcement. Different personnel use a “chaotic mixture” of radio, cellphone, text, and email at different times.

The panel also observed that despite being seen with a range finder, the gunman was never questioned during the ninety-minute period that passed between when he was first spotted by a local countersniper who was going off-duty and when he started shooting.

“This specific set of circumstances—repeatedly suspicious behavior in a close-quarters area, the use of a range finder to range the stage, and only sporadic visual contact with him—represent information that should have triggered a police or other law enforcement encounter, and such an encounter likely would have averted the subsequent sequence of events,” the report stated.

The report claimed that in the two minutes prior to the gunman opening fire, three Secret Service agents were informed that he was on the roof of the AGR building, and within that same time frame, a fourth agent was also informed of his whereabouts. However, the panel claimed that Crooks’ information was never disclosed to Trump’s detail leadership.

The Secret Service’s response was harshly condemned.

The independent review panel chastised Secret Service employees for allegedly failing to reflect on their actions following the assassination attempt.

The report said, “July 13 represents a historic security failure by the Secret Service which did lead to the death of a rally attendee and almost led to the death of a former president and current nominee.”. Given the multi-factor nature of the security breach, even a cursory examination by the personnel concerned should provide insights into mistakes and possible fixes. To prevent a similar tragedy from happening again, however, many staff members found it difficult to pinpoint significant instances of either kind of observation — what went wrong and what could be improved going forward. “.”.

Speaking with Secret Service employees, panelists noted a sense of complacency among them and stated that new agency leadership must motivate agents to “be elite and flawless.”. Panelists told reporters that the Secret Service has been “insular,” and that new perspectives on tactics and procedures as well as culture would be introduced by outside leadership.

The panel told reporters that considering the close proximity to the presidential election, the next president will probably be responsible for a complete overhaul of the agency’s leadership.

The panel’s conclusions are being made public at the same time that some Congressmen have demanded budget increases for the Secret Service. Additionally, Rowe has issued a warning, stating that the organization is using its “finite resources” to the fullest. “. .

The independent assessment concluded that although increased funding would be “beneficial,” if the discourse surrounding the security lapses turns into an argument about Secret Service budget, the lessons learned from the assassination attempt will be overlooked. Panelists informed reporters that all of the resources needed for the Butler rally had been provided, with the exception of the reduction of the 13 magnetometers that had been requested to 10.

The report concluded that “the July 13 failure most likely would have happened regardless of budget levels at the current Secret Service.”. Otherwise stated, many of the reasons behind the July 13 failures could not be resolved by an unlimited budget alone. “. .

Under Mr. Biden’s direction, a four-person panel was assembled, and from early August to early October, they examined the attack. Panelists included longtime law enforcement veteran David Mitchell, former deputy attorney general Mark Filip, former Homeland Security secretary Janet Napolitano, and former presidential assistant Frances Townsend.”. Bush for counterterrorism and homeland security.

Members interviewed Secret Service agents as well as federal, state, and local law enforcement 58 times over the course of their investigation. It stated in its report that the panel had gathered and examined over 7,000 documents.

The ramifications are still being felt.

Following the attempted assassination at Trump’s rally in Butler, the Secret Service came under intense scrutiny as it was unclear how the gunman was able to get onto a roof so close to the former president’s speech location.

A five-page synopsis of the Secret Service’s report on the attempted assassination, which was made public last month, attributed the security lapse to a “lack of due diligence” on the part of the agency and numerous communication breakdowns among the law enforcement personnel stationed at the rally site.

A bipartisan task force and multiple congressional committees are looking into the attack in addition to the Secret Service and FBI investigations.

Prior to starting to shoot, the gunman was captured on camera livestreaming footage from the campaign event for approximately two hours after flying a drone close to the location, as disclosed by the FBI earlier. The drone, two explosives from the gunman’s car, and a third explosive from his home were all found, according to investigators.

A week prior to the shooting, the gunman looked up “how far was Oswald from Kennedy” on Google. The FBI discovered that the search included information about Lee Harvey Oswald, the assassin who shot and killed President John F. Kennedy back in 1963.

Kimberly Cheatle, the head of the Secret Service at the time of the attack, resigned in response to the assassination attempt on President Trump and the subsequent criticism directed towards the agency. As of right now, Rowe is the acting head of the Secret Service.

A Hawaii man who was carrying a semiautomatic rifle was apprehended last month after a Secret Service agent spotted him in the undergrowth near the fence line at Trump’s golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, where the former president was playing. This incident raised questions about the agency’s capacity to protect Trump.

The suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh, was accused of assaulting a federal officer, attempting to assassinate a presidential candidate, and breaking three federal gun laws. In all five counts, he entered a not guilty plea.

The Secret Service increased its protection for the front-runners and vice presidential contenders after the two incidents that targeted Trump.