WASHINGTON (AP) — Communication problems with local law enforcement hampered the Secret Service’s performance at a July campaign rally, where Former President Donald Trump was shot and wounded, according to a document released Friday that details a litany of missed opportunities to stop a gunman who opened fire from an unsecured rooftop.
A five-page document summarizing the main findings of a report not yet finalized sets out the Cascading and large-scale failures that preceded the July 13 shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, in which Trump was hit in the ear by bullet.
These include a lack of clear guidance from the Secret Service to local law enforcement, a failure to address line-of-sight vulnerabilities at the rally grounds that left Trump exposed to sniper fire and “complacency” among some agents, said Ronald Rowe Jr., the agency’s acting director.
Although the failure of the response has been well documented through congressional testimony, media investigations and other public statements, the summary document released Friday marks the most formal attempt by the Secret Service to catalog the day’s mistakes and comes amid renewed scrutiny of the agency after Man arrested Sunday who authorities say stalked Trump on Florida golf course
“This is a failure on the part of the United States intelligence community. It is important that we recognize the failures of July 13 and learn from them to ensure that we do not find ourselves in a similar situation,” Rowe said at a news conference accompanying the release of the summary. The full document is still being finalized.
The report details a series of “communication failures” before the shooting Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20who was killed by a Secret Service sniper after firing eight bullets at Trump from the roof of a building less than 500 feet from where Trump was speaking. The building had been identified as a potential hazard before the event, Rowe said, but officials failed to take appropriate steps to correct potential problems.
“Line-of-sight issues were recognized but not adequately mitigated. Line-of-sight issues were noted on the day of the visit but were not reported to supervisors,” Rowe said. “While some members of the forward team were diligent, others were complacent, leading to a breach of safety protocols.”
Among other problems: Some local police officers on site were unaware of the existence of two communications centers on the ground, meaning the agents were unaware that the Secret Service was not receiving their radio transmissions.
Law enforcement also relied on cell phones, instead of Secret Service radio frequencies, to communicate vital information. As officers searched for Crooks before the shooting, information was transmitted “via mobile/cellular devices in a staggered or fragmented manner” instead of through the Secret Service network.
“The failure of personnel to radio the description of the assailant or vital information received from local law enforcement regarding a suspicious individual on the roof of the AGR complex to all federal personnel at the Butler site hindered the collective awareness of all Secret Service personnel,” the report states. That’s the acronym for AGR International Inc., a manufacturing facility located north of the Butler Farm Show grounds, where the rally was held.
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The breakdown was particularly problematic for Trump’s security detail, “who were not informed of the concentration of local and state law enforcement on the suspect’s location in the minutes leading up to the attack.” Had they known, the report said, they might have made the decision to relocate Trump while the search for the shooter was underway.
The report raises more serious questions about why no law enforcement officers were stationed on the roof Crooks climbed onto before opening fire.
A local tactical team was stationed on the second floor of a building in the complex from which Crooks fired. Several law enforcement agencies questioned the effectiveness of the team’s position, “but there was no follow-up discussion” about changing it, the report said. And there was no discussion with the Secret Service about sending a team to the roof, even though local law enforcement snipers “were apparently not opposed to that location.”
The tactical team operating on the second floor of the building had no contact with the Secret Service prior to the rally. The team had been dispatched by a local police department to help organize the event, without the Secret Service’s knowledge, the report said.
The Secret Service understood in advance that the rally location, chosen by Trump’s team because it could accommodate the “large number of desired attendees,” posed a security challenge because of the sightlines that could be exploited by a potential attacker. Yet, according to the report, no security measures were taken on July 13 to address those concerns, and the Secret Service had no detailed knowledge of what local law enforcement support would even be in place.
The report’s summary does not identify specific individuals responsible or indicate whether any staff members were disciplined, though The Associated Press has previously reported that at least five Secret Service agents were placed on modified assignments. Then-Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned more than a week after the shootingclaiming that she took full responsibility for the mistake.
The Secret Service investigation is one of several being conducted, including by Congress and the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General.
Rowe said the July shooting and Sunday’s episode, in which Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was arrested after Secret Service agents detected a rifle sticking out of the bushes bordering the West Palm Beach, Fla., golf course where Trump was playing, underscore the need for a paradigm shift in how the agency protects public servants.
Trump, he said, enjoys the “highest levels of protection” and the Secret Service’s response in Florida is an example of procedures working as they should.
