Then-Presidential candidate Donald Trump is seen surrounded by secret service agents as he is taken off the stage at a campaign event at Butler Farm Show Inc., in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024.
Then-Presidential candidate Donald Trump is seen surrounded by secret service agents as he is taken off the stage at a campaign event at Butler Farm Show Inc., in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024.
The Secret Service has suspended six agents tasked with securing the Pennsylvania rally where Donald Trump was shot last year.
Matt Quinn, Secret Service deputy director, told CBS News that their punishments range from 10 to 42 days of leave without pay or benefits. They include several agents at the service’s Pittsburgh field office, along with one agent on Trump’s detail and a counter sniper, sources told CNN. It is unclear when the agents were formally suspended.
At least two of the agents are reportedly appealing the move.
“We are laser-focused on fixing the root cause of the problem,” said Quinn
The announcement comes almost a year after Trump was targeted by a lone gunman during a campaign rally in the lead up to the recent presidential election.
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On July 13, 2024, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks unleashed gunfire from a rooftop overlooking Trump’s rally in Butler. The President, speaking about border crossing numbers at the time, was just six minutes into his address when a bullet grazed his right ear.
One rally attendee, 50-year-old Corey Comperatore, was killed in violent chaos, Two others — David Dutch, 57 and James Copenhaver, 74 — were wounded before a sniper finally took out Crooks.
In the months since, a series of Congressional investigations and federal reports have been completed, including the Secret Service’s own analysis. It uncovered multiple failures the day of the shooting, including communication breakdowns with local police, who spotted the shooter and even confronted the gunman.
Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned amid scrutiny regarding security the day of the assassination attempt.
