New report reveals staggering Secret Service failures in first Trump assassination attempt

A US senate committee investigating the July 13 assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump has revealed that security failures at the Pennsylvania rally were “foreseeable and preventable”. In a detailed report, the committee said the Secret Service failed to make clear decisions and inform local authorities about potential threats to the GOP presidential candidate.

The report also highlighted that several of the security loopholes highlighted by the committee still remain unaddressed by the Secret Service.

Key failures of Secret Service

The report said that Secret Service failed to erect visual barriers around the rally’s venue, which could have blocked the shooter’s view of Donald Trump and prevented the attempt on his life.

It was not clear with whom the decision-making power lay, leading to a chaos in communication when the attack happened. The Secret Service team also failed to provide answers about who – specifically – was responsible” for deciding the inner and outer perimeter of the rally. It was also not clear who made the decision to exclude the building, where the shooter took aim from, from the rally’s security parameter.

In another major revelation, the Secret Service didn’t make a request for a special surveillance team. It was baffling that a rally with 15,000 attendees had no surveillance team, but a similar gathering of 410 individuals attended by First Lady Jill Biden just an hour away from Butler had one assigned.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat who is leading the subcommittee’s investigation, told reporters, “Overall, the lack of an effective chain of command, which came across clearly when we conducted interviews.”

“It was almost like an Abbott and Costello farce, with ‘who’s on first?’ finger pointing by all of the different actors,” he added.

The communication gap was also glaringly visible, with no plan in place for a seamless cooperation between local law enforcement and the agency.

Senior officials in the Pittsburgh field office or other Secret Service personnel on the ground were not informed about the potential threat to Trump from Iran.

Secret Service agents on the ground told the committee that it was something they “absolutely” should have been made aware of prior to the event so they could request additional resources.

(With inputs from agencies)