Updated Jul 10, 2025 - Politics & Policy

6 Secret Service agents suspended over conduct in Trump assassination attempt

Rebecca Falconer

Then-Republican candidate Trump is seen with blood on his face surrounded by secret service agents as he is taken off the stage at a campaign event at Butler Farm Show Inc. in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024. — Then-Republican candidate Trump is taken off the stage following an assassination attempt at a campaign event at Butler Farm Show Inc. in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July 2024. Photo: Rebecca Droke/AFP via Getty Images

Six U.S. Secret Service agents were suspended in relation to their conduct concerning the assassination attempt on President Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, last year, ABC News first reported Wednesday.

The big picture: USSS deputy director Matt Quinn told CBS News the personnel were placed on leave over operational failures in the July 13, 2024, rally shooting and that the suspensions varied from 10 to 42 days as they were disciplined in accordance with a federally mandated process.

"We aren't going to fire our way out of this," said Quinn, who told the outlet that the suspended members were upon their return put on restricted duty or given posts with less operational responsibility.
"We're going to focus on the root cause and fix the deficiencies that put us in that situation," he said. "Secret Service is totally accountable for Butler," he added. "Butler was an operational failure and we are focused today on ensuring that it never happens again."

Zoom out: Kimberly Cheatle resigned as Secret Service director following mounting bipartisan criticism and calls to step down after the Trump rally shooting that she described as the "most significant operational failure of the Secret Service in decades."

A bipartisan congressional task force report found the shooting was "preventable and should not have happened."
However, it found the Secret Service's response to the second assassination attempt against Trump last September in West Palm Beach, Florida, "demonstrated how properly executed protective measures can foil an attempted assassination."

Trump also praised the USSS for their "fantastic" response.

What they're saying: "Given the shocking security failures that day, this is the absolute bare minimum," said Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), who serves on the House Oversight Committee, in a post to X.

Representatives for the USSS did not immediately respond to Axios' requests for comment on Wednesday evening.

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Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.

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6 Secret Service agents suspended over conduct in Trump assassination attempt

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