Secret Service failures as far back as 2015 spark calls for leadership change amid Trump assassination attempt

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BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA - JULY 13: Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump pumps his fist as he is rushed offstage by U.S. Secret Service agents after being grazed by a bullet during a rally on July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. Butler County district attorney Richard Goldinger said the shooter is dead after injuring former U.S. President Donald Trump, killing one audience member and injuring another in the shooting. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

As Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle faces Capitol Hill to testify on the security failures during the Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, information about decades of Secret Service failures is gaining public attention.

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“Americans demand answers, but they have not been getting them from the Secret Service. We are instead learning about new facts about the events surrounding the attempted assassination every day from whistleblowers and leaks. Americans demand accountability, but no one has yet to be fired for this historic failure,” Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R., Ky.) said in his opening statement Monday morning.

During the Congressional hearing many leaders have directly called for Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to resign or be fired by President Joe Biden for the failures of the United States Secret Service (USSS).

The Daily Mail reports on criticism originating from a 2015 House Oversight Committee report that painted a bleak picture of the agency, describing it as “in crisis” with “systemic mismanagement,” chronic underfunding, an “extraordinarily inefficient hiring process,” and widespread lack of confidence among employees in their leadership. The 200-page report, authored by Tristan Leavitt, a former top Oversight staffer who now leads the whistleblower organization Empower Oversight, highlighted several security failures under the USSS’s watch.

Leavitt, reflecting on the recent Trump shooting incident, remarked to DailyMail.com, “Almost a decade later, it looks like the Secret Service is suffering from some of the exact same problems it did 10 years ago.” He emphasized the need for leadership change, suggesting that Director Cheatle be replaced by an outsider capable of thoroughly overhauling the agency.

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One of the major points of concern raised by Leavitt was the handling of security at Trump’s recent rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Reports indicate that critical security responsibilities were delegated to potentially inexperienced or under-trained local police counter-sniper teams instead of the seasoned Secret Service units. Additionally, there were apparent communication lapses between local police and the Secret Service.

Leavitt’s 2015 report had cited earlier egregious security breaches, such as a 2014 incident where then-President Barack Obama was allowed in an elevator with an armed guard who had a criminal history, including shooting at a fleeing vehicle with a child inside. Another incident from the same year involved a veteran with PTSD who jumped the White House fence and made it into the executive mansion’s East Room before being subdued by security.

These historical failures led to the resignation of then-Secret Service Director Julia Pierson, and Leavitt’s report concluded that the agency was in a staffing crisis, exacerbated by an inefficient hiring process and low morale among overworked personnel. The report recommended that the Secret Service shed some of its additional responsibilities, such as cyber and financial crime investigations, to focus on its primary mission of protecting top political figures.

In light of the recent assassination attempt, Cheatle’s explanation for the agency’s failure has been met with skepticism. In an interview with ABC News, she cited safety concerns for not positioning agents on a sloped roof, opting instead to secure the building from inside. This explanation did little to quell criticism, especially given reports from local station WPXI that the gunman, Thomas Crooks, had been spotted and photographed by snipers 30 minutes before he fired. It remains unclear whether this information was adequately communicated to the Secret Service agents on site.

President Joe Biden has since called for a comprehensive review of all security measures at last week’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee and an independent review of the security protocols at Trump’s rally. Additionally, bipartisan support is emerging in Congress for a bill to enhance protection for all presidential candidates, including independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

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