Trump assassination attempt was "preventable," House panel finds
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President-elect Trump is rushed offstage during a rally on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
The attempted assassination of President-elect Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13 was "preventable and should not have happened," a bipartisan task force concluded in a report released Tuesday.
The big picture: In a 180-page report, the House panel blamed institutional breakdowns in the Secret Service as well as failures in security planning and execution, most notably missteps in securing the building complex where the shooter fired eight shots.
- The shooting by a lone gunman killed one person and wounded the then-Republican presidential nominee and two others.
What they found: "The various failures in planning, execution, and leadership on and before July 13, 2024, and the preexisting conditions that undermined the effectiveness of the human and material assets deployed that day, coalesced to create an environment in which the former President — and everyone at the campaign event — were exposed to grave danger," the report states.
- "The Secret Service did not provide clear guidance to its state and local partners about which entity was responsible for the area," the House panel wrote.
- "An expressed lack of manpower and assets was not sufficiently addressed, resulting in coverage gaps on the ground," the report continued.
Yes, but: The response to the second assassination attempt against Trump about two months later in West Palm Beach, Florida, "demonstrated how properly executed protective measures can foil an attempted assassination," the panel found.
Zoom in: The report includes recommendations that the Secret Service strengthen its capabilities by evaluating its budget, staffing and personnel retention challenges.
- The agency may benefit, the panel wrote, from reducing the number of people under its protection.
- The task force also recommended that Congress consider moving some of the Secret Service's "investigative functions" to a different agency within or outside of the Department of Homeland Security.
What they're saying: Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi told Axios in a statement that the agency "appreciates the diligence" of the task force and that the findings match its internal investigation.
- "Today's report reinforces our resolve to bring change to the Secret Service," he added. "We continue to take action to acquire new technologies, strengthen training, develop our personnel, and seek resources to fortify the Secret Service."
Zoom out: U.S. Rep. Jason Crow, the top-ranking Democrat on the task force, told Axios that the American people should feel confident about the security of elected officials regardless of partisan affiliation.
- "Our next step will be, not just being sure that they take responsibility, but assuring accountability and that changes are made so it doesn't happen again," he said.
- Representatives for Trump did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.
Context: The Secret Service faced intense scrutiny following the assassination attempt and agency director Kimberly Cheatle resigned in the aftermath.
- In the weeks after the initial assassination attempt, Congress members voted unanimously in favor of creating a task force to investigate the shooting.
- The panel comprised of seven Republicans and six Democrats was tasked with investigating all actions by agencies and officials at local, state and federal levels related to the shooting.
Go deeper: U.S. Rep. Jason Crow reacts to the Trump assassination report
