WASHINGTON (AP) – In many ways, an assassination attempt against Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania campaign stop was a perfect storm of failure that allowed 20-year-old Michael Thaumusque Look to climb onto a nearby building and take eight shots with the former future president.
One attendee was killed, two others injured, and a secret service counter sniper was killed by firing and firing at the con man after a bullet grazeed Trump’s ears. That day, he shook a already chaotic race for the White House, cementing Trump’s iconic status in his party and beyond.
It also became a turning point for the institutions tasked with protecting the president. As details were revealed about what went wrong, questions were added. What happened to the Secret Service plans? Why did the rooftop, with its clear gaze on Trump, become vulnerable? What is the motivation behind the shooter?
In another incident in September, a gunman was found and shot dead by a Secret Service agent after camping for a plant outside one of Trump’s golf courses.
A year after Butler, several surveys detail the breakdown of the day. Under the new leader hired by Trump, the agency is pushing to address these issues, but key questions remain.
“This was a wake-up call for Secret Service,” said retired supervisory agent Bobby McDonald.
Over the weekend, the Senate Committee and the federal audit agency released a report on the actions of the Secret Service.
Let’s take a look at what went wrong, what was done to address the issue, and questions that have not yet been answered.
How did he get on that roof? Who were you talking to?
All investigations have gone to zero for some specific issues.
The building, with a clear gaze at the time the president spoke just 135 meters (157 yards) away, was left vulnerable. Crooks ultimately boosted himself and fired eight shots with an AR-style rifle.
An investigation into the conduct of Secret Service’s own agency does not mean that it was not an indication of the risk of outlook in advance. The results were that several staff members rated them as “acceptable.”
Supervisors expected large agricultural equipment to be located to block the view from the building. The report says it was not ultimately placed, and staff who visited the site prior to the meeting did not tell the supervisor that prospect concerns had not been addressed.
Another obvious issue: fragmented communication between the Secret Service and local law enforcement agencies, where agencies rely on securing events regularly.
Instead of having one unified command post with representatives from all institutions providing security in the same room, there were two command posts at the meeting. One study described the “chaotic mixing” of radio, cell phones, texts and emails used for communications that day.
And a year later, the investigation is still here.
“There have been several unacceptable failures in planning and execution of the Butler Rally on July 13th,” the Senate Committee on Homeland Security said in a report released Sunday.
The committee found it rejected “several requests for additional staff, assets and resources to protect President Trump” during the presidential election. The committee said it includes at least two requests for the Butler Rally.
Kim Cheetle, the former agency director, told a House panel last year before she resigned.
Another report by the Government Accountability Office, requested by Republican Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, has criticized the agency’s practices to share threat information. The report said senior-level agency officials were aware of certain threats to Trump in the days leading up to the rally. It was not unique to the rally, but it was not shared with the plans of agents or local law enforcement agencies.
The report said the lack of information sharing was due to the agency’s “silence of information sharing practices.” The report did not provide details on the threat, but reports from the time showed that the threat to Trump’s life from Iran encouraged additional safety a few days before the Butler rally.
“Make sure that such events never repeat themselves.”
The agency said Sunday that following the assassination attempt, they had undergone significant reforms to “take the operation seriously” and address what happened that day.
Earlier this week, the agency issued its own report on what it did on Thursday.
“Since President Trump appointed me as Director of the US Secret Service, I have maintained my experience on July 13th, and the agency has taken many steps to prevent such events from repeating in the future.” Curran was one of the agents standing next to Trump as he was usttled from the stage after the shooting.
The agency said it had implemented 21 of the 46 recommendations made by the Congressional Watchdog. The rest was either ongoing or not left to the institution implementing it.
Some of the things they’ve done are focusing on new equipment and dealing with threats from above. They created a new aviation department to oversee drone-like aerial operations. The agency said it has two armored ATVs to use on the golf course, and produces three more. And they buy mobile command vehicles that will be pre-positioned across the country.
But much of what the agency did is change the policies and procedures to address the July 13th lapse. This involves modifying the manual when coordinating with local law enforcement, “advancing procedures and communication practices” and clarifying who is responsible for events where parents will appear.
They documented gaze concerns and updated procedures on how those concerns would be addressed.
So far, it’s not likely that anyone has been fired or been fired, but then agency director Kim Ci-Tl resigned quickly. The agency said Thursday that six staff members were subject to disciplinary action for suspensions ranging from 10 to 42 days. Six were placed in restricted obligations or non-operating positions. Their identity and position were not released.
The lack of fire has led to criticism. The Senate report stated that more than six people should be disciplined, and the penalties were too weak to match the seriousness of what happened.
Things we don’t know yet
In many ways, the con man and his motivations remain a mystery.
He was killed by a Secret Service counter shipper and left no information about why he did what he did. Investigators say they believe he acted alone and failed to find threatening comments or ideological positions on social media.
And while it’s clear what went wrong with Butler, the question remains about something that’s not addressed in advance, as it’s obviously a problem like its open roof.
Anthony Kangelosi, a former Secret Service agent who is now a lecturer at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said it’s difficult to know exactly why they did it, without being able to read interviews with agents involved in the Butler Project. A year later, he is still struggling with a lot of things that have gone wrong.
“I don’t understand how many errors were on that site that day,” he said. “If they agreed to leave that roof open, I… can’t understand it for my life.”
The widow of Corey Comperatore, who died in an attempt to assassinate Butler, reflected some of his feelings in an interview with Fox News this week.
“Why did they fail so much? Why didn’t they pay attention? Why did they think the roof wasn’t covered?
Cangelosi said he still questioned whether he requested additional personnel to cover a busy election year, whether they were, and whether those requests were accepted. He believes Secret Service needs better wages to keep agents trying to leave their agents for other federal jobs.
He suspected that part of the issue ahead of Butler Rally was that McDonald might have struggled to understand the understanding that the type of protection Trump needed was not the same as other former presidents.
He said that “it stirs the heart” is two issues that allow a con man to get on that roof and thinks “communication” and “self-satisfaction” are really wrong with Butler.
However, he also said he felt the agency was moving in the right direction. “A lot of good people do a lot of good work there,” he said, “and I hope they continue to move in the right direction.”
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