Secret Service finds ‘multiple’ failures in leadup to assassination attempt of Trump at rally
An internal Secret Service review found "multiple operational and communications failures" by the agency in its the lead up to the assassination attempt on former President Trump in Butler, Pa.
The initial findings indicated numerous gaps in planning, ranging from an unclear chain of command between the agency and local law enforcement partners at the rally that day and an inability for them to easily communicate across different radio frequencies.
It also found some staff did not follow Secret Service protocol – raising questions over future disciplinary actions.
The findings had Secret Service Acting Director Ronald Rowe calling for a "paradigm shift" in how the agency carries out its protective security responsibilities during a Friday press conference.
"This was a failure on the part of the United States Secret Service. It's important that we hold ourselves accountable for the failures of July 13, and that we use the lessons learned to make sure that we do not have another failure like this again," Rowe said.
The Secret Service on Sunday thwarted a second apparent assassination of Trump at his golf couse in West Palm Beach, Fla., where a man with a gun allegedly stalked the former president. A Secret Service agent saw the man and fired shots, and a suspect was later arrested.
That incident has sparked more finger-pointing in Congress.
"What has become clear to me is we need a shift in paradigm and how we conduct our productive operations. As was demonstrated on Sunday in West Palm Beach, the threat level is evolving and requires this paradigm shift," Rowe added, referencing the second attempt on Trump's life over the last 60 days.
