A scathing new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has revealed a string of serious lapses by the Secret Service during former President Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where he narrowly survived an assassination attempt on July 13, 2024.
The report, commissioned by Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley, points to poor planning, lack of coordination, inadequate training, and a failure to act on known threats — calling it a culmination of “bad decisions and bureaucratic breakdowns.”
Although high-level Secret Service officials were aware of a general threat to Trump prior to the event, that intelligence was not shared with field agents or local law enforcement. The GAO attributed this failure to the agency’s outdated and compartmentalized system for handling classified threat information.
“Revising internal policies to mandate proactive threat-sharing could ensure agents and partners have the critical information needed to protect high-profile targets,” the GAO advised.
Grassley was sharply critical in his response, stating: “This wasn’t just a one-off failure. It was the result of years of mismanagement, worsened by the Biden administration’s refusal to approve stronger security protections for President Trump.” He added that the nation was fortunate Trump survived and went on to win reelection.
Breakdown in Communication and Technology
The report also documented that several Secret Service officers at the scene had poor cellphone reception, hindering real-time communication. These tech failures may have delayed responses during the critical moments of the attack.
The assassination attempt claimed the life of rallygoer Corey Comperatore and left two others injured. Trump himself was grazed by a bullet. The gunman was neutralized on site by a Secret Service sniper.
In the wake of the incident, six Secret Service agents were suspended, with penalties ranging from 10 to 42 days. The disciplinary action included both supervisors and ground-level personnel, according to Deputy Director Matt Quinn.
Funding Boost to Overhaul the Agency
To address the agency’s systemic issues, a $1.17 billion budget boost has been allocated under the newly passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Grassley expressed hope that the funding would help overhaul training, technology, and security protocols: “This major investment should put the Secret Service on a path to restore public trust and ensure nothing like this happens again.”
