Secret Service Failure

Extracted Attributes

• Event Date

  2024-07-13

• Consequence

  Six Secret Service agents received unpaid suspensions

• Perpetrator

  Thomas Matthew Crooks

• Event Location

  Butler, Pennsylvania, USA

• Nature of Failure

  Failure to mitigate line-of-sight issues

• Broader Implication

  Symptom of institutional decay within US government agencies

• Recommendations Made

  Eight by GAO

• Alleged Contributing Factor

  Biden administration denied requests for enhanced security

• Target of Assassination Attempt

  Donald Trump

• Agency Agreement to Implement Changes

  Department of Homeland Security

Timeline

• Senior-level U.S. Secret Service (USSS) officials received classified intelligence regarding a threat to President Trump's life, which they failed to relay. (Source: Web Search Results)

  2024-07-03

• The Trump assassination attempt occurred in Butler, Pennsylvania, carried out by Thomas Matthew Crooks, resulting in a near-fatal shot at Trump and the death of a spectator, due to significant Secret Service failures. (Source: Related Documents, Web Search Results)

  2024-07-13

• The Biden administration is noted to have denied requests for enhanced security for President Trump prior to the event. (Source: Web Search Results)

  2024-07-13

• An Independent Review Panel released its Final Report identifying specific failures and systemic or cultural flaws within the Secret Service related to the July 13th assassination attempt. (Source: Web Search Results (DHS PDF))

  2024-10-17

• A report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) was released, detailing Secret Service failures and making eight recommendations for improvement. (Source: Web Search Results (Politico article))

  2025-07-12

• Senator Chuck Grassley released a report concluding Secret Service failure to share threat information allowed for a preventable tragedy. (Source: Web Search Results (Grassley report discussed in articles around this date))

  2025-07-12

• Senators Peters, Paul, Blumenthal, and Johnson released a bipartisan report examining U.S. Secret Service security failures. (Source: Web Search Results (HSGAC Senate article discussing the report around this date))

  2025-07-12

• The Department of Homeland Security agreed to implement the proposed changes from the GAO report, and six Secret Service agents received unpaid suspensions. (Source: Web Search Results (SAN.com article discussing these outcomes around this date))

  2025-07-12

MI6

The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), commonly known as MI6 (Military Intelligence, Section 6), is the foreign intelligence service of the United Kingdom, tasked mainly with the covert overseas collection and analysis of human intelligence on foreign nationals in support of its Five Eyes partners. SIS is one of the British intelligence agencies and the Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service (known as "C") is directly accountable to the Foreign Secretary. Formed in 1909 as the foreign section of the Secret Service Bureau, the section grew greatly during the First World War, officially adopting its current name around 1920. The name "MI6" originated as a convenient label during the Second World War, when SIS was known by many names. It is still commonly used today. The existence of SIS was not officially acknowledged until 1994. That year the Intelligence Services Act 1994 (ISA) was introduced to Parliament, to place the organisation on a statutory footing for the first time. It provides the legal basis for its operations. Today, SIS is subject to public oversight by the Investigatory Powers Tribunal and the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament. The stated priority roles of SIS are counter-terrorism, counter-proliferation, providing intelligence in support of cyber security, and supporting stability overseas to disrupt terrorism and other criminal activities. Unlike its main sister agencies, Security Service (MI5) and Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), SIS works exclusively in foreign intelligence gathering; the ISA allows it to carry out operations only against persons outside the British Islands. Some of SIS's actions since the 2000s have attracted significant controversy, such as its alleged complicity in acts of torture and extraordinary rendition. Since 1994, SIS headquarters have been in the SIS Building in London, on the South Bank of the River Thames.

Web Search Results

• Grassley Report Concludes Secret Service Failure to Share Threat ...

  “One year ago, a series of bad decisions and bureaucratic handicaps led to one of the most shocking moments in political history. The Secret Service’s failure on July 13th was the culmination of years of mismanagement and came after the Biden administration denied requests for enhanced security to protect President Trump. Americans should be grateful that President Trump survived that day and was ultimately reelected to restore common sense to our country. [...] The report further exposes a litany of USSS procedural and planning errors, including misallocation of resources, lack of training and pervasive communication failures, all of which contributed to an unsecure environment and ultimately allowed for Thomas Matthew Crooks to fire a near-fatal shot at President Trump and take the life of a spectator. [...] The Grassley-requested report states senior-level U.S. Secret Service (USSS) officials received classified intelligence regarding a threat to President Trump’s life ten days before the rally in Butler, but failed to relay the information to federal and local law enforcement personnel responsible for securing and staffing the event.

• Secret Service failures detailed in report 1 year after failed Trump ...

  “One year ago, a series of bad decisions and bureaucratic handicaps led to one of the most shocking moments in political history,” Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said in a statement. “The Secret Service’s failure on July 13th was the culmination of years of mismanagement and came after the Biden administration denied requests for enhanced security to protect President Trump. Americans should be grateful that President Trump survived that day and was ultimately [...] The Secret Service had prior intelligence about a threat but failed to share the information widely within the security team, resulting in significant internal and external criticism. ### Accountability and recommendations The GAO report made eight recommendations to improve Secret Service practices, and six agents received unpaid suspensions for their roles in the event; the Department of Homeland Security has agreed to implement the proposed changes. ## Full story [...] Failures within the Secret Service to adequately share intelligence and prepare for credible threats are highlighted by the GAO report, pointing to risks in the protection of national leaders. ### Government accountability The Government Accountability Office's recommendations and the suspension of Secret Service agents reflect efforts to address and remediate bureaucratic shortcomings in handling security at presidential events. ### Political and public impact

• Secret Service had major 'failures' ahead of Butler assassination ...

  “The Secret Service’s failure on July 13th was the culmination of years of mismanagement and came after the Biden administration denied requests for enhanced security to protect President Trump,” he said in the statement. “Americans should be grateful that President Trump survived that day and was ultimately reelected to restore common sense to our country.” [...] The Secret Service “failed to implement security measures” that could have prevented the assassination attempt on President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July 2024, according to a newly released report from the Government Accountability Office.

• Peters, Paul, Blumenthal and Johnson Release Bipartisan Report ...

  “What happened on July 13 was an accumulation of errors that produced a perfect storm of stunning failure,”said Chairman Blumenthal.“It was a tragedy and completely preventable from the outset. There was both a failure to provide resources – like a working radio, drone detection system, or counter surveillance team – and lack of an effective chain of command. Looking forward, we need structural reform in the agency itself. The Secret Service is filled with dedicated and skilled men and women [...] “Our initial findings clearly show a series of multiple failures of the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) and an inexcusable dereliction of duty,”said Ranking Member Paul. “Not only did USSS fail to ensure the AGR roof was adequately covered, they were also aware of a suspicious individual with a rangefinder for at least 27 minutes and did not delay proceedings or remove former President Trump from the stage, even after being informed that the suspicious individual was on the roof of the AGR building. [...] “From planning missteps, to the siloed and flawed communication to the lack of effective coordination between law enforcement, to the breakdowns in technology, the Secret Service’s failures that allowed an assassination attempt on former President Trump at his July 13 rally were shocking, unacceptable, and preventable – and they led to tragic consequences,”said Chairman Peters.“Moving forward, our bipartisan interim report makes recommendations for needed reforms to address these serious

• [PDF] Independent Review Panel Final Report - Homeland Security

  the intelligence warned against. In light of all of this, the failure by the Secret Service to secure, directly or indirectly, the AGR building is particularly glaring and demonstrates a disconnect between intelligence and planning: the rally site security plan orchestrated by the Secret Service was insufficiently responsive to a threat potential that had been briefed. (2) Failure to Directly Mitigate Line-of-Sight Issues from the AGR Building: It is a basic principle of long-range protection [...] Recommendations The Panel’s work has identified a number of specific failures and breakdowns enabling the assassination attempt on July 13. The Panel has also identified various deeper concerns. Taken together, these issues reveal deep flaws in the Secret Service, including some that appear to be systemic or cultural. In more detail, the Panel has identified the following specific failures and breakdowns related to the July 13 assassination attempt: (1) the absence of personnel to secure the