The Secret Service suspended six personnel following the assassination attempt against then-presidential candidate Donald Trump in Butler, Pa., one year ago.
Matt Quinn, Secret Service deputy director, told CBS News in an interview Wednesday that the penalty ranged from ten to 42 days of leave without pay or benefits. When the personnel returned to work, they were placed in roles with less operational responsibility, he said.
“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.”
The agency confirmed the suspensions just days before the one-year anniversary of the security failure on July 13, 2024, in which a 20-year-old gunman opened fire on Trump during his speech at a campaign rally. After a bullet grazed the candidate’s ear, on-site Secret Service snipers killed the shooter, later identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks.
Firefighter and rally attendee Corey Comperatore was killed in the attack while shielding his family from bullets, and two others — David Dutch and James Copenhaver — sustained severe injuries.
After the assassination attempt and a second foiled attempt in West Palm Beach, Fla., two months later, then-Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle stepped down from her role. Several investigations and congressional oversight hearings dug into the Secret Service’s conduct surrounding the Butler attack in the following months.
A 180-page report released by a bipartisan House task force in December identified “multiple foreseeable and preventable planning and operational failures” that, handled properly, could have prevented the attack. Those factors included the failure to secure the American Glass Research grounds and building complex from which Crooks fired, insufficient monitoring of the area, and technology and communications breakdowns.
“The failures that led to the tragic events of July 13 were not entirely isolated to the campaign event itself, or the days preceding it,” the report continued. “Preexisting issues in leadership and training created an environment in which the specific failures identified above could occur.”
Congress directed the Secret Service to evaluate its budget, staffing, and personnel retention challenges and advise Congress as to specific needs. The report also suggested enhancing training for non-Secret Service personnel on the ground, reducing the number of individuals the Secret Service protects, and evaluating whether the agency should continue with its investigative obligations in addition to its primary protective mission.
The Secret Service is taking steps to correct its errors, Quinn said.
“Secret Service is totally accountable for Butler,” he said. “Butler was an operational failure, and we are focused today on ensuring that it never happens again.”
Out of 46 recommendations made by congressional oversight bodies, the Secret Service has implemented 21 measures, 16 are in progress, and nine were assigned to non-Secret Service stakeholders, according to the agency’s one-year update. The reforms include introducing a new fleet of military-grade drones and establishing mobile command posts that allow agents to communicate over radio directly with local law enforcement.
Current Secret Service Director Sean Curran, who was by Trump’s side during the assassination attempt, says he is committed to ensuring the agency has the resources and personnel to fulfil its mission.
“Since President Trump appointed me as director of the United States Secret Service, I have kept my experience on July 13 top of mind, and the agency has taken many steps to ensure such an event can never be repeated in the future,” Curran said in a statement. “Nothing is more important to the Secret Service than the safety and security of our protectees.”
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated with additional details from the U.S. Secret Service one-year update following the assassination attempt.