Latest news with #TrumpRallyShooting
Al Arabiya
7 days ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
US Senate report faults Secret Service discipline after Trump shooting
A US Senate report released on Sunday said a 'cascade' of failures allowed a gunman to shoot at Donald Trump during a campaign rally last year and faulted Secret Service discipline including the lack of firings in the wake of the attack. The report, released a year after a 20-year-old gunman opened fire on Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, grazing his ear, accused the Secret Service of a pattern of negligence and communications breakdowns in planning and execution of the rally. 'This was not a single error. It was a cascade of preventable failures that nearly cost President Trump his life,' the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee report said. The Secret Service is charged with protecting current and former presidents and their families, as well visiting foreign leaders and some other senior officials. One attendee of the July 13, 2014, rally was killed and two others were injured in the shooting. The gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was subsequently shot to death by Secret Service agents. 'This was not a single lapse in judgment. 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,' the committee's Republican chairman, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, said in a statement. Kimberly Cheatle resigned as the director of the Secret Service 10 days after the shooting, amid harsh scrutiny of the agency's role, and six Secret Service agents on duty during the attempt received suspensions ranging from 10 to 42 days, the agency said on Thursday. The committee said more than six officials should have been punished, and that two of those who were disciplined received lighter punishments than it had recommended. It highlighted the fact that no one was fired. Current Secret Service Director Sean Curran said in a statement that the agency has received the report and will continue to cooperate with the committee. 'Following the events of July 13, the Secret Service took a serious look at our operations and implemented substantive reforms to address the failures that occurred that day,' Curran said.
Fox News
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Trump calls Butler widow, Secret Service agrees to meeting after call for accountability
The widow of Trump rally shooting victim Corey Comperatore said the president called her after watching her interview on Fox News and vowed that he would always be there for her. Helen Comperatore also told Fox News Correspondent Alexis McAdams that Secret Service Director Sean Curran phoned her as well, mentioning he was heartbroken after watching her speak ahead of the 1-year anniversary of the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania. Curran said he will meet with her to review the case, according to Comperatore. "We were all sitting ducks that day. Our blood is all over their hands. I am angry. I lost the love of my life. They screwed up," Helen Comperatore said during the interview while demanding accountability from the Secret Service. The Secret Service has admitted to multiple failures after 20-year-old gunman Thomas Crooks climbed onto a rooftop and fired off eight rounds. Those shots killed Comperatore – a volunteer firefighter -- and wounded three others, including then-former President Donald Trump. "Why Butler? Why was that such a failure? Why weren't they paying attention? Why did they think that that roof didn't need covered? I want to sit down and talk to them. I have the right to. They need to listen to me," Comperatore told Fox News. She said during her call with Curran, he apologized that she went so long without receiving updates and said that now that he is in charge of the Secret Service, things will be different. Curran pledged to try and answer all the questions she has about the July 13, 2024, shooting, Comperatore added. The widow also told Fox News that after a year without answers, she finally feels the Secret Service is listening to her. In her call with Trump, the president said the families affected that day will forever be connected because of the tragedy, according to Comperatore. Trump said there will be a comprehensive report made about the assassination attempt, though it is unclear when that will be made public. Six Secret Service agents were suspended without pay or benefits on Wednesday in the wake of the shooting, the agency confirmed.
