'Inexcusable' failures led to Trump assassination attempt: Senate report
On July 13, 2024, a gunman shot the then-Republican presidential candidate during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, grazing his ear.
One bystander was killed and two other people in addition to Trump were wounded before a government sniper killed the gunman, 20-year-old Thomas Crooks.
"What happened was inexcusable and the consequences imposed for the failures so far do not reflect the severity of the situation," said the report released by the US Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
The dramatic incident energized Trump's bid to return to the White House, with his campaign using a photo of him bloodied and pumping his fist as he was hurried offstage to woo voters.
The report did not shed new light on the gunman's motive, which still remains a mystery, but accused the Secret Service of "a cascade of preventable failures that nearly cost President Trump his life."
"The United States Secret Service failed to act on credible intelligence, failed to coordinate with local law enforcement," said the committee's Republican chairman Rand Paul.
"Despite those failures, no one has been fired," he added.
"It was a complete breakdown of security at every level—fueled by bureaucratic indifference, a lack of clear protocols, and a shocking refusal to act on direct threats.
"We must hold individuals accountable and ensure reforms are fully implemented so this never happens again."
- 'Mistakes were made' -
The Secret Service cited communication, technical and human errors and said reforms were underway, including on coordination between different law enforcement bodies and establishment of a division dedicated to aerial surveillance.
Six unidentified staff have been disciplined, according to the agency. The punishments range from 10 to 42 days' suspension without pay, and all six were put into restricted or non-operational positions.
Reflecting on the assassination attempt earlier this week, Trump said "mistakes were made" but that he was satisfied with the investigation.
In an interview with his daughter-in-law on Fox News' "My View with Lara Trump," Trump said the sniper "was able to get him from a long distance with one shot. If he didn't do that, you would have had an even worse situation."
"It was unforgettable," Trump said of the events.
"I didn't know exactly what was going on. I got whacked. There's no question about that. And fortunately, I got down quickly. People were screaming."
md/sst
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
21 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Donald Trump Changes His Tune on NATO
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. President Donald Trump has expressed his support for the collective defense offered by NATO in a reversal of his previous criticism of the alliance. Trump was asked by the BBC whether he still thought the alliance was "obsolete" as he had previously said, but he replied: "NATO is now becoming the opposite of that." He added that the alliance was now "paying their own bills." The U.S. president had called on NATO's European members to increase their defense spending and pay a larger share of the alliance's budget. Trump's latest comments come after he attended a NATO summit in The Hague last month, where he signaled a greater commitment to the bloc. President Donald Trump greets NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office at the White House on Monday. President Donald Trump greets NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office at the White House on is a developing story. More to follow.
Business Insider
27 minutes ago
- Business Insider
Trump Truth Social: Trump Fires Both Barrels at Friends and Foes for ‘Ripping Off' the U.S. Army
President Donald Trump came out firing today blasting countries from around the world for taking advantage of the largesse of U.S. military might for decades. Elevate Your Investing Strategy: Take advantage of TipRanks Premium at 50% off! Unlock powerful investing tools, advanced data, and expert analyst insights to help you invest with confidence. Make smarter investment decisions with TipRanks' Smart Investor Picks, delivered to your inbox every week. Grumpy Trumpy In a tweet on Truth Social, the President, which according to our Trump Dashboard showed him in a grumpy Trumpy mood, took aim with the following soliloquy. 'The United States of America has been ripped off on TRADE (and MILITARY!), by friend and foe, alike, for DECADES. It has come at a cost of TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS, and it is just not sustainable any longer – And never was! Countries should sit back and say, 'Thank you for the many year's long free ride, but we know you now have to do what's right for America.' We should respond by saying, 'Thank you for understanding the situation we are in. Greatly appreciated!' Presumably, Trump is referring to the expenditure the U.S. has provided the NATO alliance over the years, as well as protecting other nations around the globe from attacks by communist, despotic or terrorist- friendly states. Now, some guys and gals on the street would like to think that the U.S. had made these financial commitments in the name of democracy and freedom. The Band of Brothers standing together no matter the cost. Trump Ain't No Rambo Well, not in Trump's world who seems more rumbustious than Rambo, despite the comparisons. U.S. defense stocks were lifted, however, with Northrop Grumman (NOC) edging up 1% and Lockheed Martin (LMT) up 0.5%. These stocks will likely benefit from U.S. allies such as the U.K. spending more on defense because they produce most of the cutting-edge weapons needed in today's digital warfare. Although, perhaps Trump should be careful with his war of words. U.S. Treasury data released late last week showed that Department of Defense spending across operations and maintenance (O&M), research and development (R&D), and procurement accounts was up 2% in the June quarter, a deceleration from 7% in the March quarter and 8% in the December quarter. But rather than the old adage, a day is another day, Trump believes that an hour is another hour. There are hints that the U.S. is ready to spend big again on defending Ukraine. What will Trump's next shot and choice of words be?
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Yahoo
DOJ urges Supreme Court to turn away Ghislaine Maxwell's appeal
The Department of Justice on Monday urged the Supreme Court to turn away an appeal from Ghislaine Maxwell, the former associate of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for conspiring with and aiding Epstein in his sexual abuse of underage girls. Maxwell, 63, had urged the court earlier this year to review her case, arguing that an unusual co-conspirator's clause in Epstein's 2007 non-prosecution agreement with federal prosecutors in Florida barred her subsequent prosecution in New York. A district court and a federal appeals court previously rejected that argument, and the DOJ today urged the high court to do the same. "That contention is incorrect, and petitioner does not show that it would succeed in any court of appeals," wrote U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer. At the core of Maxwell's petition for SCOTUS review is her contention that the language of Epstein's non-prosecution agreement (NPA) specifically limited his protection to the Southern District of Florida, whereas the language of the co-conspirator clause should have been read to prohibit her prosecution in any federal district. The co-conspirator clause stated that if "Epstein successfully fulfills all of the terms and conditions of this agreement, the United States also agrees that it will not institute any criminal charges against any potential co-conspirators of Epstein, including but not limited to" four of Epstein's assistants. Maxwell was not among the four women named. MORE: Timeline: Jeffrey Epstein memo causes controversy among MAGA base "Despite the existence of a non-prosecution agreement promising in plain language that the United States would not prosecute any co-conspirator of Jeffrey Epstein, the United States in fact prosecuted Ghislaine Maxwell as a co-conspirator of Jeffrey Epstein," her attorneys wrote in their petition to SCOTUS in April. The DOJ, however, argues in their response that the U.S. Attorney's Office in Florida -- then led by R. Alexander Acosta -- did not intend to bind other federal districts and had no authority to do so without the approval of those districts or the Criminal Division of the DOJ. "And there is no indication here that anyone involved in negotiating Epstein's NPA obtained the necessary approval for binding other USAOs or thought it was necessary," the DOJ's brief states. The DOJ also contends that – even if the co-conspirators clause could be read to apply nationwide as Maxwell claims - there is no evidence that the parties who negotiated the NPA intended for the co-conspirators clause to benefit Maxwell, who the government describes as "at most, an incidental third-party beneficiary of the agreement." "The government was not even aware of [Maxwell's] role in Epstein's scheme at that time," Sauer wrote, and urged the justices to deny Maxwell's petition for certiorari. In a statement Monday, an attorney for Maxwell hinted at the swirling controversy surrounding the Trump administration's decision not to release any further records related to investigations of Epstein. "I'd be surprised if President Trump knew his lawyers were asking the Supreme Court to let the government break a deal. He's the ultimate dealmaker—and I'm sure he'd agree that when the United States gives its word, it should keep it. With all the talk about who's being prosecuted and who isn't, it's especially unfair that Ghislaine Maxwell remains in prison based on a promise the government made and broke," wrote David Oscar Markus. MORE: Trump supporters angry over Justice Department's Epstein memo Sigrid McCawley, an attorney who has represented hundreds of alleged Epstein victims, including one of the trial's key witnesses against Maxwell, told ABC News in a statement that Maxwell should stay behind bars. "After two-plus decades of recruiting and abusing young girls trapped in Jeffrey Epstein's sex-trafficking enterprise, Ghislaine Maxwell has again attempted to escape accountability by trying to hide behind the non-prosecution agreement. Maxwell does not deserve any protection, and she should remain in prison for the horrific crimes she committed," wrote McCawley, a managing partner at Boies Schiller Flexner. Maxwell -- who pleaded not guilty to all the criminal charges against her -- was convicted by a jury in 2021 on five of six counts, including conspiracy, sex trafficking of a minor, and transporting a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. Prosecutors alleged that Maxwell played a "key role" in a multi-state sex trafficking scheme in which she allegedly "befriended" and later "enticed and groomed multiple minor girls to engage in sex acts with Epstein" and was also, at times, "present for and involved" in the abuse herself. "A unanimous jury has found Ghislaine Maxwell guilty of one of the worst crimes imaginable -- facilitating and participating in the sexual abuse of children," then-U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement following the verdict.
