A report released Wednesday by the Senate Homeland Security Committee reveals that the U.S. Secret Service denied at least nine requests to enhance former President Donald Trump’s security in the days leading up to the assassination attempt on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania.
While the additional requested resources could have been beneficial, they were denied “at times without explanation,” according to the report.
Read: Senate Report Shows Trump Pennsylvania Assassination Attempt “Preventable”
Consequently, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks nearly assassinated the former president by firing shots from a rooftop located just 130 yards from the rally stage, resulting in the death of an attendee and injuries to others.
“The USSS C-UAS operator told the Committee he requested additional C-UAS equipment and personnel in the days before the rally,” the report states. “However, these 9 requests were denied, at times without explanation.”
In addition, Trump’s security detail had requested “Counter Assault Team liaisons” to assist with coordination efforts prior to the rally, but this request was also denied by the Secret Service, as noted in the report.
Read: Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo Says Trump Should Be ‘Extinguished’ After 2nd Assassination Attempt
The investigation discovered that counter snipers were only assigned to Trump’s security detail at the Butler rally after officials identified “credible intelligence” indicating a potential threat. Although snipers were eventually deployed, the report concluded that they lacked a clear line of sight.
The report further highlighted numerous issues, including communication failures, malfunctioning technology, planning errors, and inadequate coordination between local and federal law enforcement agencies.
“What happened on July 13 was an accumulation of errors that produced a perfect storm of stunning failure,” Chairman Richard Blumenthal stated in a press release. “It was a tragedy and completely preventable from the outset. There was both a failure to provide resources – like a working radio, drone detection system, or counter surveillance team – and lack of an effective chain of command. Looking forward, we need structural reform in the agency itself.”
According to the report, at the Butler rally, 20-year-old Thomas was observed by attendees, flagged by the Secret Service, and identified by a local counter sniper more than an hour before he targeted and fired shots at Trump. Two months later, 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh was apprehended and charged after a Secret Service agent noticed his “AK-47 style rifle with a scope” protruding from the bushes at the Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach, Florida.
“This was a failure on the part of the United States Secret Service,” stated Secret Service acting Director Ronald Rowe following the release of the Senate report. “It’s important that we hold ourselves to account for the failures of July 13th and that we use the lessons learned to make sure that we do not have another failure like this again.”
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