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By now you may have seen the headlines: “Trump Assassination Attempt The hearing turns into a shouting match“I encourage you to watch the full exchange between myself and Acting Secret Service Director Rowe.
Back-and-forth is nothing new when it comes to Congress. But what happened last week had nothing to do with partisanship, but rather the efficiency of his agency, or rather the lack thereof. In essence, sparks flew because the current head of the US Secret Service (USSS) apparently learned no lessons from the historical failures of… Butler, Pennsylvania.
We are less than five months away from the tragic events of July 13, 2024, which left Corey Comperatore, a volunteer firefighter and father of two, dead, a leading Republican presidential candidate injured, and the nation in shock.
History could and should have played out much differently at President Trump's meeting with Butler. Those shots would never have been fired if leadership within the USSS had simply lived up to its fail-free mission.
Trump's assassination attempt turns into a shouting match
This week, the bipartisan House Task Force on the Attempted Assassination of Donald J. Trump released its report Final report It details the USSS's failures at the Butler pool and recommended actions the agency should implement moving forward.
This report highlights the reason for the exchange between Acting Director Rowe and myself He was Actually very hot. The head of the Secret Service deflected and refused to answer direct questions about his actions while leading what should be the world's premier protection agency.
If the USSS cannot be fully transparent months after the Butler rally, can we trust that prominent protégés, regardless of their politics, are safe?
Our staff has heard from former USSC clients, and from whistleblowers themselves, that the agency needs to change its systemic culture. This is reflected in the failure of the USSS to secure the perimeter and high ground in place with the appropriate equipment in the appropriate manner. Here are three failures that need to be addressed based on our report.
Failure to plan
It is now known that the site from which would-be assassin Thomas Crookes fired, the AGR compound, remained unsafe before and during the July 13 march, despite concerns from local law enforcement on the ground. The local law enforcement forces present at the march demonstrated true courage and deserve our thanks, but the simple fact is that USSS leadership bears ultimate responsibility for the safety of those protected. If the USSS feels it does not have the personnel needed to secure a potential site, it needs to adhere to a consistent, streamlined process for securing additional resources, rather than the ad hoc approach it used at Butler.
Moving forward, the USSS needs to ensure it is on the same page as every partner agency involved in securing the ocean. This means open communication between everyone involved beforehand, and disseminating that information so all parties know who is responsible and where.
The USSS must also plan for coverage both inside and outside the perimeter, which was not the case when it came to the AGR complex. Failure to do so on 13 July meant that Crooks was left with a clear line of sight to the muster stage, and nearby muster-goers hampered the ability of the USSS and partner agencies to locate him. These line-of-sight weaknesses must be identified and taken into account in advance.
Failed to execute
When it came to communications, the USSS missed opportunities to catch Crooks before he opened fire. Faltering radio communications led to confusion. Some USSS snipers and local sniper teams had to communicate via text messages instead. Critical information was not widely communicated to USSS personnel, meaning that agents stationed closest to President Trump were not immediately aware of the threat posed by Crooks until he opened fire. Having two unified command centers instead of one unified command center weakened the USSS's ability to respond quickly and decisively.
The communications failure on the ground could have been fixed if the USSS had ensured a hierarchy to alert not only all its agents, but also local law enforcement. There should be a defined action and communications plan that can then be accessed for any potential reviews and investigations.
Failure to drive
The lack of uniform training standards meant that the agents involved in operational planning and execution prior to Butler's rally were simply inexperienced in the task at hand. Personnel is policy, and the lack of ongoing training for all USSS agents at Butler falls to the agency's top officials.
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We also know that Crooks used a drone to pre-survey Butler's assembly site, while the USSS had technical issues with its drone system and did not have an operational backup on site. When it comes to technology like drones, it is essential that employees are properly trained on the systems being used and that a backup system is readily available. If something goes wrong, USSS needs to ensure redundancy.
Most Americans would be shocked to learn that the USSS still cannot tell us who exactly was in charge at Butler that day. Counter-sniper teams did not have clearly defined roles, which exacerbated the problems they already faced due to inefficient communications. The fact that the USSS had to rely on inexperienced Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents becomes even more ridiculous when you consider the certification that they received “one-hour PowerPoint” training as well as one morning briefing on the day of the muster.
The American people deserve assurances that agents are adequately trained and remain informed on how to conduct protective operations, regardless of the agency's workload. Similar to how the USSS should have worked more collaboratively with local partners, the agency needs to integrate HSI personnel into USSS training when it is clear they will be needed.
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Above all, there is a major cultural problem that exists within the USSS. This fact is undeniable given the tragic fact that an untrained 20-year-old with two weeks' notice was able to outsmart and outmaneuver the very agency whose first mission is to protect our most important elected officials.
While former USSS Director Chittle resigned after her testimony in court House Oversight Committee In July, the openly hostile testimony I received from Acting Director Rowe was alarming. With our task force's findings, it is clear that the Secret Service needs sweeping changes, starting at the top.
