A new government watchdog report says the Secret Service missed several chances to stop the 2024 assassination attempt on President Donald Trump in Butler.
The Office of the Inspector General released the findings last week, narrowing down five points where the Secret Service reportedly dropped the ball.
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Trump was holding a campaign rally in Butler on July 13, 2024, when Thomas Crooks opened fire eight times.
Rallygoer Corey Comperatore died, and several others were hurt.
A bullet grazed the president’s ear, and the Secret Service shot and killed Crooks shortly afterward.
The office’s report found that the Secret Service failed to detect a drone the gunman flew to see the campaign event stage.
The Secret Service did not have a joint communications room with local law enforcement, so they were out of the loop when it came to communication about a suspicious person.
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The agency also failed to share intelligence about a long-distance threat with the Pittsburgh field office, so the event was not properly staffed.
The Secret Service failed to secure the area outside the perimeter of the event.
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Additionally, the agency did not block the line of sight from the rooftop where the shooter was looking at the stage.
The Office of Inspector General interviewed 92 people and created a 3D model to reconstruct what happened for the report.
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