A newly released U.S. Senate report reveals major security lapses by the Secret Service during the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump by Thomas Matthew Crooks in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. The report, issued Wednesday, confirms that the Secret Service was aware of Crooks’ presence on a nearby building for 27 minutes before he opened fire, an attack that left one man dead and several others injured.
The findings highlight 12 critical points of failure where the Secret Service should have acted to protect the former president and neutralize the shooter. Senator Richard Blumenthal had previously warned that the report would reveal significant security deficiencies.
The report states: “At approximately 5:45 p.m., USSS personnel were notified by local law enforcement about a suspicious individual near the AGR building using a rangefinder. By 5:52 p.m., at least eight USSS personnel were aware. However, only two minutes before shots were fired was any action taken.”
Here are the 12 key points of failure outlined in the report:
- 1. Delayed Response: Secret Service personnel were alerted to a suspicious person with a rangefinder near the AGR building 27 minutes before the shooting.
- 2. Lack of Action: Two minutes before Crooks fired from the AGR roof, Secret Service agents were informed but did not act to remove Trump from the stage.
- 3. Sniper Inaction: A USSS counter-sniper noticed law enforcement rushing toward the AGR building with guns drawn, yet did not alert Trump’s protective detail. The sniper admitted that while this “elevated” the threat level, the thought to notify Trump’s team “did not cross [his] mind.”
- 4. Miscommunication on Threat: USSS counter-snipers, including the one who ultimately killed Crooks, were deployed due to “credible intelligence” of a threat. However, nearly all USSS personnel interviewed by the committee claimed they were unaware of any such intelligence.
- 5. Blame Deflection: USSS Advance Agents for the rally denied responsibility for planning failures and could not identify who held final decision-making authority.
- 6. Local Law Enforcement Concerns: Local authorities had expressed concerns about inadequate security coverage of the AGR building prior to the event.
- 7. Known Vulnerabilities: USSS advance personnel had previously identified line-of-sight issues at the rally site, including vulnerabilities related to the AGR building.
- 8. Separate Communications Centers: There were two separate communication centers at the rally—one run by the Secret Service and another by local law enforcement—leading to coordination problems.
- 9. Limited Response Time: The Secret Service sniper had Crooks in his sights for only seconds before Crooks fired his weapon.
- 10. Request for Additional Resources Denied: USSS Advance Agents had requested additional resources that could have enhanced security, but these requests were denied.
- 11. Technical Failures: The USSS Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UAS) system experienced issues and was not operational until 4:33 p.m., well after Crooks had flown a drone near the rally site.
- 12. Radio Problems: Several USSS officials experienced radio communication issues during the rally, a problem they reported as common within the agency.
The Senate report condemns the Secret Service’s handling of the event as “foreseeable, preventable, and directly related” to the assassination attempt. The Committee also criticized coordination problems between federal, state, and local law enforcement, which went unaddressed and contributed to the security failures.
In addition to these lapses, the report highlights failures in the aftermath of the attempt. It notes that requests for key documents from agencies like the FBI, DHS, ATF, and USSS remain unanswered or heavily redacted, impeding the investigation. The Committee stated that these delays hindered its ability to propose necessary reforms efficiently.
The report concludes that the Secret Service failed on multiple fronts, including clearly defining responsibilities, ensuring adequate coverage of the AGR building, coordinating with local law enforcement, providing necessary resources, and communicating critical information in time to protect former President Trump and the public.
