The US Secret Service on Friday outlined multiple failures revealed in its review of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a rally in July.
Shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks managed to open fire from a nearby rooftop during the outdoor event hosted by Republican candidate Trump, who narrowly escaped death but sustained an injury to his right ear.
The review “identified deficiencies in the advance planning and its implementation,” Acting Director Ronald Rowe Jr. said at a press briefing. “While some members of the advance team were very diligent, there was complacency on the part of others that led to a breach of security protocols.”
– Alerts ‘Not Relayed’ –
Among the shortcomings highlighted by Rowe were poor communication with local law enforcement, an “over-reliance” on mobile devices “resulting in information being siloed,” and line-of-sight issues, which “were acknowledged but not properly mitigated.”
“At approximately 18:10 local time, the Secret Service security room called the countersniper response agent by phone, reporting an individual on the roof of the AGR building,” Rowe explained. “That vital piece of information was not relayed over the Secret Service radio network.”
Two attendees of the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, were injured by gunfire, and a third, 50-year-old firefighter Corey Comperatore, died as a result. Crooks was shot dead on the roof by Secret Service personnel.
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned following the incident, and several Secret Service agents have been placed on leave.
Rowe stated that the Secret Service required additional funding, personnel, and equipment to facilitate a “paradigm shift… from a state of reaction to a state of readiness.”
The Congressional task force investigating the attempted assassination of Trump issued a statement on Friday, urging Rowe to “follow through” on holding employees accountable and to cooperate with its independent investigation.
“Complacency has no place in the Secret Service,” the task force said.
The US House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill on Friday to enhance Secret Service protection for presidential candidates to the same level as sitting presidents and vice presidents.
The bill now awaits a vote in the Senate and a signature from President Joe Biden before it becomes law. Rowe confirmed that Trump is now receiving the same level of protection as the current president.
The demand for heightened security was underscored by a second apparent assassination attempt on Trump’s life at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, last weekend.
“What occurred on Sunday demonstrates the tremendous threat environment in which the Secret Service operates,” Rowe said.
The gunman in Florida did not have a clear line of sight on the former president and was arrested before firing a shot, according to officials.
Trump has sought political leverage by accusing, without evidence, President Biden and Democratic rival Kamala Harris of inspiring the assassination attempts through their “rhetoric” about him endangering democracy. Both Biden and Harris have repeatedly condemned the assassination attempts and political violence, with Biden urging Congress to allocate more resources to the Secret Service.
AFP
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