At least five members of the US Secret Service (USSS) have been placed on leave following the July 13 assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, Fox News confirmed.
A member of Trump’s personal security team and four employees at the Secret Service field office in Pittsburgh, including the special agent in charge, were placed on leave nearly six weeks after the incident.
The news comes as the elite agency investigates the security glitch that led to Thomas Matthew Crooks firing multiple shots from the nearby AGR building.
At least five Secret Service members have been placed on leave following the July 13 assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, Fox News confirmed. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images, main image, and Iron Clad USA, inset.)
A bullet grazed Trump’s right ear, while firefighter Corey Comperatore was fatally shot. Rally participants James Copenhaver and David Dutch were also shot and injured.
Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned less than two weeks after the shooting and after her first testimony before members of Congress. Several lawmakers called on the Secret Service to make personnel changes and lay off employees following the deadly incident.
Fox News has also learned that Iran’s threat to Trump was communicated internally at the Secret Service before the Butler, Pennsylvania, incident, and the investigation is likely to address why the Butler incident occurred given the threat.
The Secret Service said in a statement that the agency is committed to investigating the decisions and actions of its personnel related to the events of July 13.
“The US Secret Service Mission Assurance review is progressing and we are investigating the processes, procedures and factors that led to this operational failure,” Anthony Guglielmi, USSS communications director, said in a statement.
“The U.S. Secret Service requires our personnel to adhere to the highest professional standards, and any identified and proven violations of policy will be investigated by the Office of Professional Responsibility and may result in disciplinary action. Because this is a personnel matter, we are unable to comment further.”
Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle testified before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee on the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump on Monday, July 22, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
The FBI has previously stated that Crooks got to the roof of a building by climbing up heating and ventilation equipment and plumbing. Crooks then traversed several rooftops before finding his firing position on the roof of a building about 450 feet (137 meters) from where the former president was speaking at his rally.
Text messages from local Law enforcement The officer in charge of monitoring the rally had reported Crooks as suspicious to his colleagues at least 90 minutes before he opened fire. Nevertheless, he was able to fire on Trump and the crowd.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) welcomed the news that action had been taken against some members of the Secret Service.
“The Secret Service must be held accountable for its historic failures that led to the assassination attempt on President Trump,” Comer said.
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Former President Donald Trump clenches his fist as he is pushed off the stage during an assassination attempt on him on July 13. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
“Holding negligent employees accountable is the first step. I look forward to the results of the task force’s investigation. We must ensure that the Secret Service does not fail again.”
Meanwhile, Attorney General Merrick Garland said at an unrelated event on Friday that he could not comment on specific suspensions.
“This was a security failure and there is both an internal and an external independent investigation,” Garland said. “They will learn lessons from it to prevent such a failure from happening again.”
Fox News’ Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.
