The United States Secret Service failed to prevent or disrupt the July 2024 assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, missing "multiple opportunities" to intervene, according to a report released Thursday by the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General (OIG). The 64-page document outlines a series of security lapses that enabled Thomas Matthew Crooks to gain an unobstructed view of Trump as he addressed supporters from a stage in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024.
The OIG report concluded that the Secret Service's "overall lack of policy and processes coupled with limited intelligence sharing and poor collaboration and communication with protectee staff and state and local law enforcement set the conditions that led to missing opportunities to prevent and detect the attempted assassination." These systemic issues created vulnerabilities that ultimately contributed to the incident.
Critical Communication Failures
A significant factor identified by the OIG was the breakdown in communication between the Secret Service and local law enforcement. This failure meant that Mr. Trump's protective detail was not alerted to critical information: that Crooks possessed a range finder and a long gun, and had ascended to the roof of a nearby structure. The report highlighted that the Secret Service and local authorities operated from distinct locations, separated by 257 yards, with only intermittent and severely restricted radio communication.
Consequently, the Secret Service did not receive 102 radio transmissions related to an escalating search for a suspicious individual, which included urgent warnings about a suspect armed with a long gun on the roof. The Secret Service's communication room reportedly received only a minimal number of phone calls and text messages, leading agents to misjudge the severity of the impending threat. This lack of urgency meant no warning was issued to Mr. Trump's protective detail to either postpone the speech or evacuate him from the stage, according to the OIG.
Crooks ultimately discharged eight shots. Mr. Trump sustained a graze wound to his ear, while 50-year-old Corey Comperatore, a rally attendee, tragically lost his life. Two additional spectators suffered critical injuries but survived the attack. Immediately following the gunfire, Secret Service agents swiftly moved onto the stage and escorted Mr. Trump to safety.
Drone Surveillance and Detection Failures
Beyond the communication issues, the report also detailed the Secret Service's inability to detect Crooks' drone flight, which he utilized to scout the campaign event stage less than three hours prior to the rally. This failure was attributed to an inadequately trained operator and a malfunctioning piece of equipment. Crooks' drone remained undetected for nearly nine minutes, traveling 471 yards from the stage at an altitude of 102 feet.
Although a counter-drone system was present at the rally site, it was not operational when Crooks conducted his pre-attack surveillance flight hours before the assassination attempt, and it subsequently malfunctioned during the event itself.
Unsecured Perimeters and Unobstructed Views
The OIG report further criticized the agency for not sharing intelligence regarding a potential long-distance threat to Mr. Trump with its Pittsburgh field office and the agents deployed on site. Furthermore, agents neglected to secure the area beyond the designated security perimeter and failed to deploy available resources to obstruct Crooks' line of sight from the roof of the American Glass Research International building towards Mr. Trump. This oversight occurred despite the line of sight being explicitly identified as a potential vulnerability.
During preliminary walkthroughs, the American Glass Research (AGR) complex was recognized as a critical line-of-sight vulnerability, yet the Secret Service did not ensure that the view to the stage was adequately blocked. An official, Eckloff, commented, "There should have been a better advance, more officers, more agents, but there's simply a limit to that."
Initial proposals involved positioning trucks already at the venue to obscure the view from the AGR complex. However, Mr. Trump's campaign staff reportedly rejected this plan, citing concerns that it would impede press photography. Although an agent suggested an alternative placement for the trucks, there was no follow-up to verify if the campaign staff had implemented the change. Consequently, Crooks maintained an unobstructed view of Mr. Trump's podium from a mere 155 yards away, the report stated.
Recommendations for Enhanced Security
To address these critical deficiencies, the OIG report put forth several recommendations aimed at enhancing the Secret Service's event security protocols. These proposals include implementing mandatory threat communication procedures, providing improved counter-drone training for personnel, and establishing a formal process for documenting the identification and subsequent obstruction of line-of-sight vulnerabilities at protected events.