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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 view the full exchange between me and Acting Secret Service Director Rowe.
The heated back and forth is nothing new when it comes to Congress. But last week’s exchange had nothing to do with partisanship and everything to do with his office’s competence, or rather lack thereof. Essentially, sparks flew because the current head of the United States Secret Service (USSS) appears not to have learned any lessons from the historical failures in Butler, Pa.
We are just under five months removed from the tragic events of July 13, 2024, which killed Corey Comperatore, a volunteer firefighter and father of two, injured the leading Republican presidential candidate and left the nation in shock.
History could and should have played out very differently during President Trump’s Butler rally. These shots would never have been fired if the leadership within the USSS had simply accomplished its zero-fail mission.
TRUMP ASSAULT ATTEMPT HEARING TURNS INTO SCREAMING MATCH
This week, the bipartisan House Task Force on the Attempted Assassination of Donald J. Trump released its report final report detailing the USSS’s failures at the Butler meeting and recommending actions the service should implement in the future.
This report underlines why the exchange between Acting Director Rowe and I was actually so heated. The head of the Secret Service deflected, refusing to answer direct questions about his actions while at the helm of what is supposed to be the world’s top protection agency.
If the USSS cannot be fully transparent months after the Butler meeting, can we trust that high-profile protectors, regardless of their politics, are safe?
Our Task Force has heard from former USSC agents and whistleblowers themselves that the agency needs systemic culture change. This is reflected in the USSS’s inability to properly secure the perimeter and high ground at the site with the appropriate equipment. Here are three mistakes that need to be addressed based on our report.
Planning failures
It is now common knowledge that the location from which would-be killer Thomas Crooks shot, the AGR complex, remained unsecured prior to and during the July 13 rally, despite concerns from local law enforcement on the ground. The local law enforcement officers present at the meeting showed true courage and deserve our thanks, but the simple fact is that the leadership of the USSS bears the ultimate responsibility for the safety of its protected persons. If the USSS believes it does not have the necessary personnel to secure a potential location, it should adhere to a consistent, streamlined process to secure additional resources, rather than the ad hoc approach they used in Butler.
Moving forward, the USSS must ensure it is on the same page as any partner organization involved in securing the perimeter. This means open communication in advance between all involved and disseminating that information so that all parties know who is in charge and where.
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USSS also needs to plan coverage both inside and outside the perimeter, which was not the case when it came to the AGR complex. The fact that this did not happen on July 13 meant that Crooks had a clear view of the rally stage, and nearby rally goers hampered the ability of the USSS and partner agencies to locate him. These line of sight vulnerabilities must be identified and considered in advance.
Failures in implementation
When it comes to communications, the USSS missed opportunities to arrest Crooks before he opened fire. Faulty radio communications led to confusion. Some USSS countersnipers and local sniper teams had to communicate via text message instead. Critical information was not widely relayed to USSS personnel, meaning the agents stationed closest to President Trump were not immediately informed of Crooks’ threat until he opened fire. The existence of two, rather than one unified command post, further reduced the USSS’s ability to respond quickly and decisively.
Communications breakdowns on the ground could have been resolved if the USSS had ensured a hierarchy was in place to alert not only all of its own agents, but also local law enforcement. There must be a clear plan of action and communication that is accessible afterwards for any assessments and investigations.
Failures in leadership
The lack of uniform training standards meant that officers involved in the operational planning and execution leading up to the Butler rally were simply not experienced for the task ahead. Personnel is policy, and the lack of consistent training for all USSS agents at Butler, PA falls under the feet of the agency’s higher-ups.
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We also know that Crooks used a drone in advance to survey the Butler rally site, while the USSS was having technical problems with its own counter-drone system and had no operational backup on site. When it comes to technology such as drones, it is imperative that staff are properly trained in the systems used and that a backup system is readily available. If something goes wrong, the USSS must provide redundancy.
It would shock most Americans to learn that the USSS still cannot tell us who exactly was in charge at Butler that day. Countersniper teams lacked clearly defined roles, exacerbating the problems they already faced due to inefficient communications. The fact that the USSS had to rely on inexperienced Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) agents becomes even more absurd when you look at testimonies stating that they received “1-hour PowerPoint” training in addition to a single morning briefing on the day of the meeting.
The American people deserve assurances that agents are adequately trained and informed on how to conduct protective operations, regardless of the agency’s workload. Just as USSS should have collaborated more with local partners, the agency should integrate HSI personnel into USSS’s own training when it is clear they will be needed.
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Above all, there is a major cultural problem within the USSS. This truth is undeniable, given the tragic fact that an untrained 20-year-old, with two weeks’ notice, was able to outwit and maneuver the agency whose primary job is to protect our most important elected officials.
While now former USSS Director Cheatle resigned following her testimony before the House Oversight Committee in July, the openly combative testimony I received from Acting Director Rowe is alarming. Combined with the findings of our Task Force, it is clear that the Secret Service needs comprehensive change, starting at the top.
