Six Secret Service agents have been suspended without pay over critical mistakes that contributed to last year’s assassination attempt on President Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

According to Secret Service Deputy Director Matt Quinn, the agents received disciplinary suspensions ranging from 10 to 42 days. Speaking to CBS News on Wednesday, Quinn said the agents will not be terminated, but when they return to duty, their new assignments will involve reduced field responsibilities.
“We aren’t going to fire our way out of this,” Quinn told CBS. “We’re going to focus on the root cause and fix the deficiencies that put us in that situation.”
The incident in question occurred on July 13, 2024, when a bullet grazed Trump’s ear, leaving him visibly wounded as he stood at the podium during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show fairgrounds. The shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, had managed to find a sniper’s perch on a rooftop that had not been secured.
Tragically, firefighter Corey Comperatore was killed as he tried to protect his family from the barrage of bullets, while two other individuals suffered serious injuries. The attacker, 20-year-old Crooks, was ultimately neutralized by a Secret Service sniper.
In September, a blistering report issued by the Senate concluded that the shooting could have been prevented. The findings placed blame squarely on a series of “multiple foreseeable and preventable planning and operational failures by [Secret Service] contributed” to the breach.
The report highlighted a breakdown in command structure, gaps in coordination with local and state police, malfunctioning drone defense systems, and poor communication protocols as key elements of the failure. “These included unclear roles and responsibilities, insufficient coordination with state and local law enforcement, the lack of effective communications, and inoperable [Counter-Unmanned Aircraft] systems, among many others,” it stated.
Just two months after the Butler incident, Trump was the target of another assassination attempt — this time at his Palm Beach golf club.
Quinn was candid about the agency’s responsibility. “Butler was an operational failure and we are focused today on ensuring that it never happens again,” he said. “The Secret Service is totally accountable for Butler.”
He explained that changes have already been implemented. The agency now deploys a new drone fleet and has set up mobile command centers that provide immediate radio connectivity with local law enforcement officers.

{Matzav.com}