The U.S. Secret Service’s own investigation into the failures of July 13 included finger-pointing and an assessment of who might be subject to disciplinary action.
In the weeks following the attempt on former President Donald Trump’s life at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, the public was left wanting accountability as ever-evolving explanations amid scrutiny came across as little more than excuses. Now, after stories like that of the sloped roof, the Secret Service released its own Mission Assurance Inquiry suggesting “multiple employees” could be subject to counseling or discipline.
“The findings of the Mission Assurance Inquiry will be reviewed by the Secret Service’s Office of Integrity. The Mission Assurance Inquiry identified several instances of behaviors and acts by multiple employees that warrant review for corrective counseling and, potentially, disciplinary actions,” read the seven-page summary released Friday.
“All Secret Service employees are held to a high standard of conduct in the performance of their duties when providing protection to those that entrust us with their well-being and the safety of their families,” it continued. “All individuals found in violation of policies will be held accountable. Any disciplinary measures will be imposed to promote the efficiency of the Secret Service and to encourage behaviors and principles that contribute to the success of the agency’s integrated mission. Any employees who receive proposals of discipline will be provided due process under agency policy as well as any applicable laws and regulations.”
Within the document, the Secret Service offered a list of changes since July 13 that included increased staffing of special agents for Trump, increased use of drones, and the “development of radio communications networks, with redundancies” while addressing “radio interoperability” with local and state officials.
The lack of communication between the various agencies assigned to the president’s protective detail had remained a major point of concern after the would-be assassin had been spotted ahead of the attempt on Trump’s life that injured three rally-goers, including the fatal wounds to firefighter Corey Comperatore.
Addressing those issues, the Secret Service noted “breakdowns in communication contributed significantly to the mission failure, leaving much of the law enforcement personnel performing protective operations, including former President Trump’s protective detail, unaware of key information leading up to the attempted assassination.”
However, the agency also pointed blame to Trump’s campaign as “temperatures soared to 90 degrees, as forecasted” leading to “251 requests for medical assistance.”
“Secret Service advance team personnel identified a need for additional volunteer staff, more water and coolers, and improved access for public safety personnel to administer medical care. The lack of coordination with campaign staff on these issues caused a higher-than-expected proportion of security personnel to be diverted into assisting with medical responses,” the summary contended.
Those assertions came as the agency admitted it “did not command the appropriate dispatch of personnel, either Secret Service or state/local law enforcement partners, to the area of the AGR building after learning about a suspicious individual with a range finder,” referring to the would-be assassin.
In response to the review, the Congressional Task Force on the Attempted Assassination of Donald J. Trump issued a statement that read, “The Secret Service’s Mission Assurance Review offers answers that align with the Task Force’s own investigation into the agency’s security failures on July 13. Many of the steps to improve security outlined in the Review appear to be headed in the right direction.”
“However,” added the statement, “the Secret Service still needs to take additional steps to create accountability and ensure that the mistakes that occurred on July 13 are not repeated.”
Additional inquiries underway included that of Congress, the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of the Inspector General, Homeland Security’s Independent Review Panel, and the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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