The U.S. Secret Service had a “complacency problem” and was responsible for multiple security lapses leading up to Donald Trump being shot by an attempted assassin at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, the agency’s acting director said Friday.
Communication problems with local law enforcement and a “lack of diligence” hampered the Secret Service’s performance ahead of the July assassination attempt on the former US president, according to a new report detailing a litany of missed opportunities to stop a gunman who opened fire from an unsecured rooftop.
In addition, Ronald Rowe Jr., the acting director of the Secret Service, said at a news conference on Friday that some agents “had complacency … that led to a violation of security protocols.”
Trump was injured when a bullet struck his ear after the gunman opened fire at an outdoor rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. One man in the crowd was killed when he dove to shield his family as shots rang out, and others in the crowd were wounded.
Agents shielded Trump as agency snipers killed the gunman. Rowe said it was a pivotal moment in the history of the Secret Service and required a paradigm shift in the sprawling agency’s operations.
Another potential crisis was averted on Sunday when a man was spotted apparently carrying a gun through a fence while Trump was playing golf at his Florida golf course, near his home. An officer fired at the man, who fled but was later arrested after a chase.
A five-page document summarizing key findings from a report released Friday by the Secret Service criticized local and federal law enforcement during the preparations and procedures for the July demonstration.
Although the failed response has been documented through congressional testimony, media investigations, and other public statements, the report was the Secret Service’s most formal attempt to catalog the failures of the era.
Related: Secret Service admits it did not search Trump’s golf course perimeter
“It is important that we hold ourselves accountable for the failures of July 13 and use the lessons learned to ensure we do not fail a mission like this again,” Rowe said in a statement accompanying the release of the agency’s own internal investigation report.
This shows that the agency knew before the shooting that the location of the demonstration posed a security risk.
One problem: Some local police officers on the scene were unaware of the existence of two communications centers on the property. This meant that the officers were unaware that the Secret Service could not receive their radio transmissions.
Law enforcement also communicated vital information outside of Secret Service radio frequencies, hampering the search for the shooter after reports came in of a man on a rooftop within sight of the rally stage.
The report’s summary does not name specific individuals who may be blamed, although the Associated Press previously reported that at least five officers were placed on special duty. The director at the time, Kimberly Cheatle, resigned.
The Associated Press contributed to the reporting
