Secret Service Owns Up to Protection Failure at Trump Rally

The United States Secret Service has acknowledged its failure to protect former President Donald Trump during an election rally in Pennsylvania on July 13. A young gunman fired at Trump, 78, while he was speaking at the rally in Butler. Trump narrowly escaped the assassination attempt, with a bullet grazing his right ear.

"The Secret Service takes full responsibility for the tragic events of July 13th. This was a mission failure. The sole responsibility of our agency is to make sure our protectees are never put in danger. We fell short of that in Butler. And I'm working to make sure that this failure does not happen again," Acting Director of the US Secret Service, Ronald Rowe, told reporters at a news conference here.

Secret Service Accountability

Rowe stated that the Secret Service will continue to cooperate with ongoing investigations into the July 13 failure by Congress, the Department of Homeland Security's Office of the Inspector General, and an independent review directed by President Joe Biden. "I am not waiting for the completion of those reports, and I've directed the Secret Service to take immediate steps to ensure our protectees are indeed safe. I am committed to pursuing accountability for the Secret Service's failure in Butler, Pennsylvania," he said.

Rowe emphasised that if policy violations by Secret Service personnel are identified by the agency's Mission Assurance Review, those individuals will be held accountable through a fair and thorough disciplinary process. "But let me be clear. If policy violations by Secret Service personnel are identified by the agency's Mission Assurance Review, those individuals will be held accountable. They will be held accountable to our fair and thorough disciplinary process," he added.

Timeline of Events

Providing a sequence of events from July 13, Rowe explained that Trump arrived at the campaign rally at 5:30 pm via Secret Service motorcade and met with supporters in a secure backstage area within the protective site. At 5:45 pm, a local Butler County Emergency Services Unit counter-sniper team member texted the Secret Service counter-sniper team leader about a suspicious person and sent two photos of the individual, later identified as the assailant.

At 5:53 pm, the Secret Service counter-sniper team leader informed other team members that local law enforcement was looking for a suspicious individual outside the perimeter near the AGR building. At this time, Secret Service personnel were aware that local law enforcement was handling an issue involving a suspicious person.

Trump began his remarks on stage at 6:00 pm. "Based on what I know right now, neither the Secret Service counter-sniper teams nor members of the former president's security detail had any knowledge that there was a man on the roof of the AGR building with a firearm. It is my understanding that personnel were not aware the assailant had a firearm until they heard gunshots," Rowe said.

Assassination Attempt

At 6:11 pm, a member of Trump's protective detail contacted their Pittsburgh field office counterpart to inquire about a radio update regarding an issue local law enforcement was investigating near the perimeter. At this same time, the assailant fired three shots, prompting Trump's security detail to rush the stage and shield him with their bodies.

"The fourth-through-eighth shots took place over the next several seconds. Fifteen and a half seconds after the assailant's first shot, a Secret Service counter-sniper fired a single round that neutralised the assailant," Rowe detailed.

Security Lapses

Rowe admitted that this incident represented a significant failure on part of the Secret Service. "We should have had better protection for the protectee. We should have had better coverage on that roofline. We should have had at least some other set of eyes from the Secret Service point of view covering that," he said.

"This was a Secret Service failure. That roofline should have been covered. We should have had better eyes on that," he added.

The primary role of the Secret Service is to protect current and former presidents and their families, as well as presidential nominees. This incident has highlighted gaps in their security protocols which they are now addressing to prevent future occurrences.