The US Secret Service on Friday presented a list of failures it uncovered in its review of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a rally in July.
The shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, opened fire from a nearby rooftop at an outdoor event hosted by Republican presidential candidate Trump, narrowly missing him and injuring his right ear.
Acting Director Ronald Rowe Jr. said in a press briefing that the review “identified deficiencies in advanced planning and its implementation.”
“While some members of the advance party were very diligent, there was negligence on the part of others, which led to the breach of safety protocols.”
– Alert ‘not broadcast’ –
Failures identified by Rowe included poor communications with local law enforcement agencies, an “overreliance” on mobile devices that resulted in “information being left secret” and line-of-sight problems that were “acknowledged but not appropriately mitigated.”
“At approximately 18:10 local time, via a phone call, the Secret Service security room informed countersniper response agents of the presence of a man on the roof of the AGR building,” Rowe reported.
“That vital information was not broadcast over the Secret Service radio network.”
Two people attending the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, were injured in the shooting and a third, 50-year-old firefighter Corey Comperatore, died.
Crooks was shot dead on the rooftop by Secret Service personnel.
Following this dramatic incident, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned and several Secret Service agents were sent on leave.
Rowe said the Secret Service needs additional funding, personnel and equipment to “shift from a state of reaction to a state of readiness.”
The congressional task force investigating the Trump assassination attempt issued a statement Friday encouraging Rove to hold staffers accountable and cooperate with the independent investigation.
“There is no room for complacency in the Secret Service,” the task force said.
The US House of Representatives on Friday unanimously passed a bill that would raise Secret Service protection for presidential candidates to the same level as current presidents and vice presidents.
The bill now awaits a vote in the Senate and President Joe Biden’s signature before it can become law.
Rowe said Trump is now being given the same security as the president.
The demand for increased security became intense again after a second assassination attempt on Trump at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, last weekend.
“What happened on Sunday highlights the enormous threat environment in which the Secret Service operates,” Rowe said.
Authorities say the gunman in Florida lost sight of the former president and failed to fire a shot, but was tracked down and arrested.
Trump has sought to score political points by accusing Biden and Democratic election rival Kamala Harris, without evidence, of promoting the motivation behind the conspiracy theories, and saying their “depraved rhetoric” about him is endangering democracy.
Both Biden and Harris have repeatedly condemned assassination attempts and any political violence, with Biden calling on Congress to provide more resources for the Secret Service.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)