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A U.S. Senate report released on Sunday said a “cascade” of failures allowed a gunman to shoot at Donald Trump during a campaign rally last year.
Senate Raps Secret Service One Year After Trump Assassination Bid. (Photo/AP)
A report of the US released on Sunday said a “cascade” of failures allowed a gunman to shoot at Donald Trump during a campaign rally last year and faulted Secret Service discipline, including the lack of firings in the wake of the attack.
A recent report accuses the Secret Service of negligence and communication failures in planning and executing the security for Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where a 20-year-old gunman grazed Trump’s ear with a bullet last year.
“This was not a single error. It was a cascade of preventable failures that nearly cost President Trump his life,” stated the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee report. The Secret Service is responsible for protecting current and former presidents and their families, as well as visiting foreign leaders and some other senior officials.
On the first anniversary of the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, US Vice President JD Vance called the moment the “most iconic” he has ever witnessed in American politics. Sharing a now-famous image of Trump raising his bloodied fist moments after the shooting, Vance posted on X: “Remains the most iconic moment I’ve ever seen in American politics. One year ago today.”
During the July 13, 2014, rally, one attendee was killed and two others were injured in the shooting. The gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was subsequently shot to death by Secret Service agents.
“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,” commented the committee’s Republican chairman, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky.
Kimberly Cheatle resigned as the director of the Secret Service 10 days after the shooting, amid harsh scrutiny of the agency’s role, and six Secret Service agents on duty during the attempt received suspensions ranging from 10 to 42 days, the agency said on Thursday.
The committee argued that more than six officials should have been punished, noting that two of those disciplined received lighter penalties than recommended. It also emphasised that no one was fired.
Current Secret Service Director Sean Curran stated that the agency has received the report and will continue to cooperate with the committee.
“Following the events of July 13, the Secret Service took a serious look at our operations and implemented substantive reforms to address the failures that occurred that day,” Curran said.
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