Secret Service reduced gun training after Covid; agent’s accidental shooting throws up flags

As scrutiny of the U.S. Secret Service continues, an agent is “expected to survive” a firearm-related incident said to happen “way too often.”

In the midst of campaign season, with U.N. week in New York City set to begin and in the shadow of two assassination attempts on former President Donald Trump’s life, a Secret Service agent was apparently injured by his own weapon Saturday night.

According to the report from WUSA9, the “negligent discharge” while handling the firearm resulted in the agent shooting himself with non-life-threatening injuries around 8 p.m. in the area of 32nd and Fessenden Sts. Northwest.

No one else was injured and the agent was transported to a local hospital following the incident that a source in the Secret Service community told RealClearPolitics national political correspondent Susan Crabtree “happens way too often.”

In particular, she noted that one report regarding the detail protecting former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13 stated that an agent had shot himself in the foot seven months prior to this incident. That individual was said to have been one of a two-man SWAT team posted inside rather than on top of the AGR building on the day of the first assassination attempt on the president.

As the Office of Professional Responsibility opened an investigation, Crabtree further reported that the Secret Service had, “for an unknown reason” following COVID, reduced the frequency of gun training.

The incident came one day after the Secret Service released a report detailing “communications deficiencies” that had occurred at the Butler, Pennsylvania rally where a would-be assassin’s attempt on Trump’s life left rally-goer Corey Comperatore dead.

“The failure of personnel to broadcast via radio the description of the assailant, or vital information received from local law enforcement regarding a suspicious individual on the roof of the AGR complex, to all federal personnel at the Butler site inhibited the collective awareness of all Secret Service personnel.”

The report did not specify who was responsible for the lapses nor did it detail what, if any, disciplinary action had resulted.

Tuesday, Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley called out stonewalling from the agency in a letter addressed to acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe. As he sought responses to information requests that had gone ignored, the lawmaker presented a testimonial disparity as he wrote, “In response to questions during the July 30 hearing about whether there were explicit instructions to local law enforcement to cover the roof of the AGR building, you testified that it was your understanding ‘what was communicated is that the locals had a plan and that they had been there before.'”

“However, Butler County law enforcement officials interviewed by my staff have said that on July 11, 2024, during a walkthrough in preparation for the July 13, rally, they raised concerns to the Secret Service several times about securing the AGR complex buildings,” wrote Grassley. “Those law enforcement personnel said concerns about securing the AGR complex buildings were specifically flagged for two Secret Service agents and a Secret Service counter-sniper.”

“Are there representations to my staff accurate?” he wondered after detailing that, with regard to the AGR complex buildings, local law enforcement officials said agents told them “We will take care of it.”

Kevin Haggerty

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