Washington DC

In a major fallout of the July 13 assassination attempt on former United States President Donald Trump, the US Secret Service has asked at least five agents to go on leave following an investigation. As per reports, the head of the Pittsburgh field office is one of the five agents who have been placed on leave. Additionally, three other officers based in the Pittsburgh office and one agent on Trump’s detail have been placed on leave.

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It was not clear whether any of these actions can be considered disciplinary, given that it’s not uncommon for agents to be placed on leave during investigations and even for health relief.

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As per reports, the Secret Service's internal affairs division is still investigating how a 20-year-old shooter, identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, was able to open fire at the ex-US president despite heavy security.

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When Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi was asked to comment on the issue, he declined, citing personal matters. But he added that the Secret Service's "mission assurance review is progressing, and we are examining the processes, procedures and factors that led to this operational failure."

He added that the Secret Service "holds our personnel to the highest professional standards, and any identified and substantiated violations of policy will be investigated by the Office of Professional Responsibility for potential disciplinary action."

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It must be noted that when Secret Service agents are placed on leave, they are still entitled to their salaries and have to report to the office. They are barred from performing their day-to-day roles but are assigned paperwork or other administrative duties.

The July 13 incident raised major questions over the efficiency of security agents, with some even going on a sexist tirade and disparaging female agents. Kimberly Cheatle, the director of the Secret Service at the time, also faced tough questions from Congress members.

Cheatle was later replaced by Acting Director Ronald Rowe, who told senators he was "ashamed" of the assassination attempt and vowed to investigate the failures that allowed the gunman to open fire.

(With inputs from agencies)