Six (6) Secret Service agents suspended over Trump shooting

Six Secret Service agents were suspended for their roles in the security failures that allowed an attempted assassination of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, last July, according to reports.

A review conducted by the Department of Homeland Security concluded that multiple lapses in law enforcement contributed to a situation where Trump was left exposed to a gunman, ABC News reported on Wednesday.

“The Secret Service is no longer performing at the high level required for its vital mission,” the independent review stated. “The agency has grown overly bureaucratic, complacent, and outdated, even as threats have increased and technology has advanced.”

The suspended agents, ranging from front-line staff to supervisors, received disciplinary action lasting from 10 to 42 days, according to a source familiar with the matter. All were given the option to appeal the decision, which was finalized in recent months.

“We’re not going to solve this by simply firing people,” said Secret Service Deputy Director Matt Quinn in an interview with CBS News. He explained that returning agents were reassigned to less critical or restricted roles.

Quinn added that since the Butler incident, the agency has upgraded its capabilities, deploying military-grade drones and mobile command units that improve communication with local law enforcement.

During the shooting, Trump was struck in the ear, while one supporter lost their life and two others were injured. The suspected shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was killed by law enforcement at the scene.

In a separate incident that occurred in September, less than two months before Trump’s re-election, a man allegedly pointed a rifle at the former president during an appearance in West Palm Beach, Florida, but fled when confronted by a Secret Service agent.

Sean Curran, one of the agents who protected Trump during the Butler rally, was appointed in March as the new director of the Secret Service. He took over from Ronald Rowe Jr., who had been serving in an acting capacity since July after former Director Kimberly Cheatle stepped down amid public outcry over the agency’s failures.

Rowe, speaking before two Senate committees shortly after the Butler attack, acknowledged he visited the scene.

“What I saw made me feel ashamed,” he told lawmakers.