Secret Service suspends six agents assigned to protect Donald Trump during Butler assassination attempt
The suspensions for the six agents ranged from 10 to 42 days, and they won't be paid while on leave, Secret Service Deputy Director Matt Quinn told CBS News on Wednesday.
The agents will not be fired, but upon return to work, they will be placed in roles with diminished operational responsibility.
'We aren't going to fire our way out of this,' Quinn told the outlet.
'We're going to focus on the root cause and fix the deficiencies that put us in that situation.'
Trump was struck in the ear by one of the bullets fired by would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks on July 13, 2024, during a campaign event at the Butler Farm Show grounds, leaving the then presumptive Republican nominee for president bloodied.
Firefighter Corey Comperatore was killed shielding his family from Crooks' bullets, and two others were left with severe injuries before the 20-year-old gunman — positioned on an unguarded roof with a clear line of sight toward Trump — was taken out by a Secret Service sniper.
A scathing Senate report on the assassination attempt released in September determined that 'multiple foreseeable and preventable planning and operational failures by [Secret Service] contributed' to Crooks' ability to carry out the deadly shooting.
'These included unclear roles and responsibilities, insufficient coordination with state and local law enforcement, the lack of effective communications, and inoperable [Counter-Unmanned Aircraft] systems, among many others,' the damning report read.
A second assasination attempt against Trump took place two months later at the president's Palm Beach, Fla., golf course.
Quinn insisted that the Secret Service is 'totally accountable for Butler.'
'Butler was an operational failure and we are focused today on ensuring that it never happens again,' he said.
The official noted that the agency now has a new fleet of drones and mobile command posts that let agents communicate over radio directly with local law enforcement.
The Secret Service did not respond to The Post's request for comment.
Originally published as Secret Service suspends six agents assigned to protect Donald Trump during Butler assassination attempt
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The first lady shared a screenshot of the apology's transcript and a crossed-out screenshot of a video of the episode titled, "The Epstein connection: Trump & Melania." Originally published as First lady Melania Trump puts Hunter Biden on $1.5 billion notice over 'false, defamatory' Epstein comments
