- Internal review reveals communication failures and lack of diligence.
- The interim director says disciplinary proceedings are underway, but does not provide details.
- “There was complacency on the part of 'some agents',” he says.
WASHINGTON: A U.S. Secret Service investigation has found communication failures and poor due diligence before the July assassination attempt on Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
“There was complacency on the part of 'some agents' that led to a breach of security protocols,” acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe told reporters on Friday, adding that agency employees would be held accountable.
“These sanctions will be administered in accordance with our disciplinary process,” Rowe said, declining to provide details.
The assassination attempt on Trump at the July 13 rally prompted widespread criticism of the Secret Service and the resignation of its former director. Critics expressed concern about how the suspect was able to access a nearby rooftop with a direct line of sight to where the former president was giving a speech.
Rowe defended the Secret Service's actions in another apparent assassination attempt on Trump at his Florida golf club on Sunday. In that case, a Secret Service agent shot a suspect after seeing a rifle sticking out from between trees.
The suspect did not fire any shots and had no line of sight to Trump, who was golfing a few hundred yards away.
The suspect, identified as Ryan Routh, 58, fled. He was later arrested and charged with firearms-related offenses. He is expected to appear in federal court in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday.
“It appears those officers, those supervisors, made quick decisions and made the right decisions,” he said when asked about Sunday's attempt.
In the July shooting, Trump was wounded in the ear, a rally-goer was killed and two other people were injured. The Secret Service has since said it was “embarrassed” by the security lapse.
Rowe said Trump was receiving the same level of protection as President Joe Biden and Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, his rival in the Nov. 5 election.
The Secret Service's internal investigation identified communication failures between state and local authorities. The Secret Service identified the Butler site as a security concern, but measures designed to alleviate those concerns were not “carried out as intended,” according to a summary of the findings.
Trump's security team was unaware that state and local law enforcement were intensively pursuing a suspicious person, who turned out to be the gunman. Had they known, officers could have moved Trump to another location during the search, the report said.
The Secret Service's internal investigation follows other investigations led by Congress, an independent panel convened by the Department of Homeland Security and the department's internal watchdog.
