Nearly one year after President Donald Trump narrowly dodged an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, the Secret Service confirmed six agents have been disciplined for the “operational failure” of that day.
On July 13, 2024, would-be assassin Thomas Crooks fired eight shots toward Trump just minutes into his speech. One hit him in the ear, just millimeters from his brain. Miraculously, Trump turned his head a split second before the shot, which limited the damage.
While being escorted off the stage, a bloodied President Trump pumped his fist in the air and shouted – in a now iconic moment – “fight, fight, fight” to the crowd. He later said he wanted everyone to know he was okay.
Firefighter Corey Comperatore was fatally shot that day while using his body to shield his wife and daughter from the hail of bullets. His widow, Helen Comperatore, told Fox News on Wednesday that she believes further accountability is needed.
“We were all sitting ducks that day. Their blood, our blood is all over their hands. I’m angry,” she said. “I lost the love of my life. Why weren’t they paying attention? Why did they think that that roof didn’t need covered?”
The Fallout
As reported on Friday’s AM Update, the Secret Service, Department of Homeland Security, and both chambers of Congress, have all released scathing reports on the catastrophic failures of the Secret Service leading up to that moment, outlining communication breakdowns, insufficient manpower, and unclear coordination.
Then-Secret Service Director Kim Cheatle resigned 10 days after the shooting and one day after a House hearing in which she called the incident “the most significant operational failure in decades.”
On Wednesday evening, for the first time, Secret Service Deputy Director Matthew Quinn confirmed six agents have been suspended over the failures of that day. According to CBS News, the penalties ranged from 10 to 42 days of leave without pay or benefits.
“We aren’t going to fire our way out of this. We’re going to focus on the root cause and fix the deficiencies that put us in that situation,” Quinn, handpicked by Trump-appointed Secret Service Director Sean Curran, told CBS. “Secret Service is totally accountable for Butler. Butler was an operational failure, and we are focused today on ensuring that it never happens again and executing our strategic plan to increase technology, to improve communications, to make sure our personnel are well trained, equipped, and deployed.”
Questions of Accountability
In a one-year update released Thursday, the Secret Service announced it is instituting sweeping reforms and emphasized the importance of accountability. But RealClearPolitics National Political Correspondent Susan Crabtree reported that key supervisors who signed off on the Butler security plan and two who were working on the final walkthroughs before the rally were never disciplined. Instead, they received promotions.
According to Crabtree, rank-and-file agents are incensed over the decision not to hold the supervisors accountable, further sinking already low morale.
AM Update reached out to Secret Service for comment on this reporting and they referred us back to their one-year update.
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