2 men injured in Trump rally shooting accuse Secret Service of "negligence"
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Left to right: NBC News' Tom Llamas, Jim Copenhaver and David Dutch during the NBC News interview. Photo: NBC News
Two Trump rally shooting survivors said they still face health issues after being critically injured in the first assassination attempt on the former president, per an interview which aired Monday.
The big picture: Jim Copenhaver and David Dutch told NBC News in their first interview since the July 13 shooting they believe there was "negligence" in the U.S. Secret Service's security protocols at former President Trump's Butler, Pennsylvania, rally.
- Attorneys for the shooting survivors said they intended to file lawsuits and were in the early investigation stages of "whom they will pursue a case against," per NBC News.
Zoom out: The Secret Service faced scrutiny following the attack that killed Trump rally attendee Corey Comperatore and resulted in 57-year-old Dutch being shot in the liver and 74-year-old Copenhaver with gunshot wounds to his abdomen and triceps.
- Former Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle resigned amid fierce criticism over the USSS response and a preliminary bipartisan Senate report found Secret Service planning failures preceding the shooting were "foreseeable" and "preventable."
- The Secret Service stepped up security in the wake of the incident and Republican presidential nominee Trump praised USSS agents for preventing a second assassination attempt on him at his West Palm Beach golf club last month.
What they're saying: "I believe there was 100% negligence on the Secret Service, probably everybody involved in setting that security, down to inter-department communications," said Dutch during the interview that aired on "NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt."
- "The negligence was vast. It was terrible," added Dutch, who lost 30 pounds after the shooting and said he still needs treatment for his wound. "It's a struggle every day."
- Copenhaver said he was "sure there was negligence" because it "wouldn't have happened" had the site been secure.
- He told NBC News' Tom Llamas he now walks with a cane, lost 30 pounds and still sometimes gets stomachaches after being shot in the abdomen and triceps at the rally.
- Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said in an emailed comment Tuesday morning that the agency does "not comment on pending or proposed litigation."
More from Axios:
- Lawmakers' own security fears drive Secret Service push
- Trump makes a dramatic return to Pennsylvania shooting scene
- "What I saw made me ashamed," Secret Service head says of Trump rally security
- Arrest near Coachella rally likely prevented 3rd assassination attempt on Trump, sheriff says
Editor's note: This article has been updated with comment from Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi.
