Recommendations of the Editorial team
A Senate report on the attempted murder attack on Donald Trump speaks of a “cascade avoidable error” of the Secret Service, that made it possible for the assassin to target him.
Secret service ignored warnings and inquiries
The report by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs published on Sunday accuses the Secret Service of rejecting several applications from Trump’s security team to strengthen the security measures during the 2024 campaign.
“Agents and civil servants decided to obtain radio devices from local and state police authorities. Which restricted the coordination at a critical moment,” the report said. “In the run-up to the visual liner weaknesses known in advance. An inexperienced force was entrusted with the control of the anti-drone systems. Personnel who would have been decisive for the success of the operations was not requested.”
The committee found that the Secret Service “at least ten inquiries” from Trump’s security team either refused or did not meet. It was about additional resources such as snipers, an anti-drone system and staff for a counter-attack team.
The Secret Service finally approved a sniper. What, according to the committee chairman Senator Rand Paul on Sunday, prevented the shooter from giving up even more shots.
Disciplinary measures without layoffs
“On this day, in Butler County, Pennsylvania, it was the first time that he was approved,” said Paul. “If he hadn’t had snipers, the assassin would have appeared again. In fact, he came up again to continue – and there he was eliminated.”
Six members of the Secret Service were disciplinary after the attempt to attack. For example through unpaid suspenders. But nobody was released. Committee members expressed their disappointment with the “lack of disciplinary measures towards other participants”. Including a secret service officer who “missed the decisive information about a suspect with a distance meter”. Information that Trump’s team would have possible to keep it from entering the stage.
“”[Der Secret Service] Didn’t want to assign guilt, “said Paul.” They didn’t want to look inwards. And talk about any misconduct.
Paul accused Secret Service Director Kim Cheatle in her testimony before the congress. Especially when she explained that the authority had not received any inquiries to increase Trump’s security before the rally in Butler.
“It was a chain of mistakes,” said Paul. “When we spoke to those responsible for security, everyone pointed to someone else with their fingers.”
Cheatle rejected the allegation. He explained that when she appeared before the congress “that of employees of the headquarters and the Trump team, including the current director of the authority, confirmed my statement that was not rejected that no inquiries about additional support for our agents in Butler were rejected.”
“Any claim or hint that I would have made misleading statements is obviously wrong. And does not do justice to the men and women at the forefront who were wrongly disciplined for a team instead of an individual failure,” she said.
The report did not comment on the motifs of the shooter, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks.