Six Secret Service agents have been suspended over lapses linked to the attempted assassination of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, last year. The disciplinary action comes just days before the anniversary of the July 13, 2024, shooting, which left Trump with a bloodied ear.
Deputy Director Matt Quinn told CBS News the agents received penalties ranging from 10 to 42 days of unpaid leave. Upon returning, they were reassigned to restricted or less critical operational roles.
The action follows the major security breach on July 13, 2024, when a gunman opened fire at Trump’s campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, grazing his ear. One person was killed and two others injured before the shooter, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was fatally shot by a Secret Service sniper.
Critics questioned how Crooks managed to reach a rooftop overlooking Trump’s rally stage, giving him a clear line of sight. A Secret Service investigation revealed lapses in communication and inadequate vigilance before the shooting.
The Pennsylvania assassination attempt and a second, thwarted plot weeks later in West Palm Beach, Florida, led to the resignation of Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle and prompted multiple investigations and combative congressional hearings.
Following both incidents, Trump, then a presidential candidate, was granted full presidential-level security as his campaign adjusted to new safety protocols for planning future events.
A scathing 180-page bipartisan House report released in December concluded the failures went far beyond the campaign rally, calling them systemic. “The events of July 13, 2024, were tragic and preventable, and the litany of related security failures are unacceptable,” the report stated.
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