A recently released government report has shed light on severe lapses by the U.S. Secret Service during a failed assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. The incident, which occurred at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July 2024, was marked by a series of missteps that could have had fatal consequences.
The Department of Government Accountability (GAO) report, made public on Saturday, was commissioned by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA). It outlines a concerning picture of the Secret Service's operational failures, including the mishandling of classified intelligence about a potential threat to Trump's safety.
According to the GAO findings, the Secret Service had received credible information regarding a possible assassination attempt on Trump ten days prior to the rally. However, this critical intelligence was not shared with other federal agencies or local law enforcement tasked with securing the event. The report cites poor communication, inadequate training, and the misallocation of resources as the primary factors contributing to the significant vulnerabilities in the protective operation surrounding the former President.
The ramifications of these failures were nearly catastrophic. During the rally, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire from a nearby rooftop. A bullet grazed President Trump's ear, narrowly missing a lethal shot as Trump turned to address the crowd. The attack tragically resulted in the death of retired firefighter Corey Comperatore and left two others critically injured.
GAO investigators pointed to widespread failures in planning and coordination. They noted that senior Secret Service officials, despite being briefed on the classified threat, did not take the necessary steps to inform President Trump's protective detail or local authorities. Interviews and body camera footage confirmed that local officials had sought increased support but were left without adequate follow-up.
Further exacerbating the situation was the inexperience of the site agent in charge of identifying security vulnerabilities. The Butler rally was her first time leading security for a large outdoor event, and she failed to implement essential precautions. Notably, at the time of the incident, there was no official Secret Service policy mandating the communication of known threats to a protectee's staff.
The report also uncovered that additional protection requests, such as counter-unmanned aerial surveillance (cUAS) systems, were denied. Instead, these resources were allocated for other political events. Despite these internal inconsistencies, the Secret Service deployed counter-sniper teams at the last minute, a decision that the GAO described as unusual. These snipers played a crucial role in neutralizing Crooks during the attack.
This GAO report comes on the heels of a 2024 investigation by the House Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations and the Senate Homeland Security Committee, which similarly identified mismanagement and coordination issues within the Secret Service. Concluding that the attack on Trump was "preventable," the GAO underscored the need for substantial reform in the Secret Service's approach to planning and coordination with local law enforcement.
