US Senate report slams ‘stunning failures’ by Secret Service in Trump assassination attempt

Washington: The US Senate has released a scathing report detailing the findings of its investigation into the assassination attempt on President Donald Trump during a campaign rally last year highlighting what it describes as “stunning failures” in the operations and preparedness of the United States Secret Service, calling the incident a serious lapse in presidential security.

The US Senator Rand Paul, Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) released the Committee’s final report on Sunday “regarding what can only be described as stunning failures by the United States Secret Service (USSS) that allowed then-former President Donald Trump to be shot on July 13, 2024, in an attempted assassination in Butler, Pennsylvania.”

According to the report, on July 13, 2024, a gunman climbed onto the roof of the American Glass Research building near the Butler Farm Show rally and opened fire, striking four individuals, including President Trump, and killing firefighter Corey Comperatore, adding that the shooter had been reported to Secret Service as suspicious and with a rangefinder at least 25 minutes earlier.

Following the attack, the US Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (the Committee) and the US Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) launched a joint-bipartisan investigation.

“What happened in Butler, Pennsylvania, was not just a tragedy—it was a scandal. The United States Secret Service failed to act on credible intelligence, failed to coordinate with local law enforcement, and failed to prevent an attack that nearly took the life of a then-former president,” said Chairman Paul.

“Despite those failures, no one has been fired. And we only know what little discipline was handed out because I issued a subpoena. That’s unacceptable. This was not a single lapse in judgment. It was a complete breakdown of security at every level—fueled by bureaucratic indifference, a lack of clear protocols, and a shocking refusal to act on direct threats. We must hold individuals accountable and ensure reforms are fully implemented so this never happens again,” he added.

The Committee report revealed that the USSS denied multiple requests for additional staff, assets, and resources to protect President Trump during the campaign.

“According to USSS documents provided to the Committee, USSS Headquarters denied or left unfulfilled at least 10 requests by the Donald Trump Division (DTD) for additional resources during the 2024 campaign including enhanced counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS) assets, counter assault team (CAT) personnel, and counter sniper personnel,” read the report.

The report highlighted that “this was not a single error, it was a cascade of preventable failures that nearly cost President Trump his life.”

–IANS