Senate Report Slams Secret Service Over Security Failures in Trump Assassination Attempt

A U.S. Senate report has harshly assessed of the Secret Service’s handling of the July 2024 assassination attempt on President Donald Trump, saying that the agency’s failures were “inexcusable.”

The report by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, revealed a series of “preventable failures” that impacted on the breach during Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where a gunman opened fire from a rooftop, killing one attendee. Trump was grazed by a bullet and quickly pulled from the stage by security agents.

According to the Senate investigation, the Secret Service denied or failed to act on multiple critical resource requests in the lead-up to the rally. These included requests for additional counter-snipers, security equipment, and coordination with local law enforcement. The report stated that had these been fulfilled, the shooting might have been prevented.

Lawmakers denounced the agency for a lack of accountability, noting that six agents received unpaid suspensions ranging from 10 to 42 days, but no one was fired. The committee called this response inadequate, especially in light of the significant lapse that allowed the attack to unfold.

“This wasn’t a single misstep — it was a breakdown across multiple levels of planning and response,” the report concluded.

Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned from the post over the fallout from the assassination attempt. Her successor, Sean Curran, has committed to cooperating with congressional oversight and implementing stronger safeguards for future operations.

With input from Al Jazeera