Senate report highlights resources denied for Trump events in 2024
Senate Homeland Security And Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Rand Paul released a final report Sunday on the committee's findings from its investigation into the assassination attempt by Thomas Crooks targeting then-candidate Donald Trump, marking one year since the events in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The report has few new details and is largely a rehashing of information that was already known about the shooting. It largely mirrors a preliminary report on the investigation put forward by then-committee Chairman Gary Peters in September 2024.
The report outlines what Paul calls “stunning failures by the United States Secret Service that allowed then-former President Donald J. Trump to be shot on July 13, 2024.”
“The truth is, President Trump, and the nation, was fortunate. The once-again President survived despite being shot in the head. Since that day, there has been another attempt on his life and further threats to do him harm, including most recently a renewed threat from Iran. This report reveals a disturbing pattern of communication failures and negligence that culminated in a preventable tragedy. What happened was inexcusable and the consequences imposed for the failures so far do not reflect the severity of the situation,” Paul’s report says.
Secret Service Director Sean Curran said in a statement Sunday that his agency "will continue to work cooperatively with the committee as we move forward in our mission."
"Following the events of July 13, the Secret Service took a serious look at our operations and implemented substantive reforms to address the failures that occurred that day," Curran said. "The Secret Service appreciates the continued support of President Trump, Congress, and our federal and local partners who have been instrumental in providing crucial resources needed to support the agency’s efforts."
The report stems from the committee’s bipartisan investigation launched shortly after the attack on July 13, 2024. It is based on 75,000 pages of document produced to the committee, according to the report.
The report's findings highlight many that have already been reported about the attempted shooting of Trump, including what it describes as “unacceptable failures” in planning and execution of the Butler rally.
In particular, it highlights, as previously reported, communication failures that led to vulnerabilities on the day. It focuses on a previously reported breakdown of communications between local law enforcement and the USSS.
The report notes instances leading up to the Butler rally in which the Secret Service headquarters denied or left unfulfilled requests for additional resources to support Trump during the campaign. They highlight an instance in which a request for countersnipers at a rally in South Carolina went unfulfilled, though there were countersnipers at the Butler rally.
It also highlights that lack of countersnipers at Trump’s July 9, 2024, rally in Doral even after a briefing the day before from the USSS Protective Intelligence Division led to the July 9 determination by USSS that counter snipers should be present at all of Trump’s outdoor rallies due to intelligence reflecting increased risks at outdoor events.
The report also highlights other instances of other resources, such as Counter Assault Teams and drones, being denied for various Trump events in 2024.
The report argues there has been “insufficient accountability” for USSS officials involved in the incident. Paul, according to the report, subpoenaed USSS for records related to the “disciplinary actions” taken against personnel involved in planning the Butler rally earlier this month. The produced documents revealed that six individuals have faced disciplinary action, and the report argues that the penalties received were “too weak to match the severity of the failures”.
Paul also says that Kimberley Cheatle, the former USSS director, made false statements when testifying before Congress following the attack. Cheatle told the committee that there were “no requests that were denied” for the Butler rally, but the committee found evidence of “at least two instances of assets being denied by the USSS headquarters” related to the Butler rally. The report asserts that former Acting Director Ronald Rowe’s testimony was also “misleading.”
