A breakdown of communications with local law enforcement and technical difficulties with a drone were among the largest issues that plagued the Secret Service on the day someone tried to kill former President Donald Trump at his July rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
On Friday, the Secret Service shared a five-page report summarizing its conclusions as to why it couldn't stop the gunman from opening fire from an unsecured roof toward Trump that day, leaving the Republican presidential candidate with a gunshot wound to the ear.
Among the deficiencies it described, the agency said the consistent theme gathered from those involved with securing the rally was communication deficiencies, including gaps in law enforcement resources to share information, a variety of radio frequencies and a lack of guidance from the Secret Service as to how local entities should respond.
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Instead of radios, agents used cell phones, and many local officers were unaware there were two communication centers on the grounds. That left them unaware the Secret Service wasn't receiving their radio transmissions.
The report also states security supervisors recognized there were line-of-sight concerns, but measures to alleviate the vulnerabilities weren't carried out, leaving Trump open to the sniper who shot from a building that was identified as a possible hazard.
"This was a failure on the part of the United States Secret Service," It’s important that we hold ourselves to account for the failures of July 13th and that we use the lessons learned to make sure that we do not have another failure like this again," said Ronald Rowe Jr., the agency's acting director, at a press conference.
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Rowe also said some "complacency" among Secret Service agents played a role in the day's events. In answering Scripps News' Liz Landers question at the press conference, he specifically
discussed there was a need to increase the agency's protective footprint, including personnel, technical assets and equipment.
But Republican members of Congress told Landers earlier this week that they're hesitant to "throw more money" at the Secret Service, though conversations on increasing its budget are ongoing.
The Friday report comes in advance of a more thorough report that will explain the summary findings and provide recommendations on a path forward for the agency. The USSS internal investigation is one of multiple inquiries into the assassination attempt, including from federal security investigators and from Congress.
