A report released on Thursday has called out significant deficiencies within the US Secret Service, following an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at a July rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The independent panel, tasked with investigating the incident, described the agency as “bureaucratic, complacent, and static,” warning that without urgent reforms, similar attacks could occur again.
The report, spanning 52 pages, identified numerous “specific failures and breakdowns” that allowed the gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, to fire eight shots at the rally, resulting in one man’s death and a minor injury to Trump. The Secret Service, which killed Crooks at the scene, acknowledged its failures, leading to the resignation of its director weeks after the incident.
In a statement, acting director Ronald Rowe said the agency is committed to reviewing the panel’s findings. “We have already significantly improved our readiness, operational and organisational communications, and implemented enhanced protective operations for the former president,” Rowe noted.
While the report commended Secret Service agents for their bravery, it pointed to several leadership and cultural shortcomings, including a “troubling lack of critical thinking” and an internal reluctance to “speak up.” It called for the immediate removal of some top leaders to address what it described as “systemic or cultural” issues within the agency.
The panel stressed the need for “fundamental reform” and warned that without such changes, “another Butler can and will happen again.”
The report was addressed to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who oversees the agency.
President Joe Biden ordered a bipartisan review of the Secret Service following the Butler shooting. The panel also recommended that all outdoor events be monitored by “overhead technology” to enhance security protocols.
In a separate incident in September, another gunman was spotted near Trump at his Palm Beach golf course. Police arrested the individual, who was found with a rifle just a few hundred yards away from Trump.
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