After Trump assassination attempt, US Secret Service needs ‘fundamental reform’: panel

The review faulted the Secret Service for poor communications on July 13 in Butler, and recommended bringing in new, outside leadership

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Members of Secret Service scan a crowd waiting to get in to see Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speak at a rally in Aurora, Colorado. Photo: Getty Images via AFP

Published: 10:07pm, 17 Oct 2024Updated: 2:10am, 18 Oct 2024

An independent panel investigating the attempted assassination of Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania campaign rally says the Secret Service needs “fundamental reform” and that “another Butler can and will happen again” without major changes in how candidates are protected.

The review faulted the Secret Service for poor communications that day and failing to secure the building where the gunman took his shots.

It also found more systemic issues at the agency such as a failure to understand the unique risks facing Trump and a culture of doing “more with less”.

The 52-page report issued on Thursday took the Secret Service to task for specific problems leading up to the July 13 rally in Butler as a well as deeper one within the agency’s culture. It recommended bringing in new, outside leadership and refocusing on its protective mission.

Republican presidential candidate former president Donald Trump is covered by Secret Service agents at a campaign rally in Butler in July. Photo: AP

“The Secret Service as an agency requires fundamental reform to carry out its mission,” the authors wrote to Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas of the Homeland Security Department, the Secret Service’s parent agency, in a letter accompanying their report.