US Secret Service director admits Trump shooting an ‘operational failure’

Over the weekend, both the Washington Post and the New York Times disclosed that the Secret Service rebuffed multiple entreaties from the Trump team for augmented resources prior to the rally in Butler, Pa.

Anthony Guglielmi, the Secret Service spokesman, corroborated to NPR that, over a span of two years preceding the rally, the agency had rejected at least six additional security requests from Trump’s entourage.

These denials encompassed several requests for magnetometers at public gatherings, such as a 2023 event in Michigan, Bronx County, N.Y., and rallies in Wildwood, N.J., in May. Additionally, the Secret Service was unable to deploy countersniper units for a July 2023 rally in South Carolina, necessitating local law enforcement to fulfill the request instead.

“In instances where specific Secret Service specialized units or resources were not allocated, the agency implemented modifications to ensure the protectee’s security,” Guglielmi stated to NPR. “This could involve enlisting state or local partners for specialized roles or identifying alternative measures to mitigate public exposure of the protectee.”

Previously, Guglielmi, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and, as reported, Cheatle had refuted claims that the agency denied additional security requests from the Trump team.

“Both before and after the events of this past weekend, the Secret Service enhanced former President Trump’s protection, in response to the evolving nature of threats to the former President and his imminent transition from presumptive nominee to nominee,” Mayorkas asserted in a July 15 press briefing at the White House.

Guglielmi regarded the new updates as a “clarification” of his prior statement.

A growing list of investigations

Late Sunday, Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas appointed a panel of experts to undertake an independent examination of the attempted assassination.

The panel comprises Janet Napolitano, former DHS Secretary under President Obama; Fran Townsend, Homeland Security advisor to President George W. Bush; ex-federal Judge Mark Filip, who served as Bush’s Deputy Attorney General; and David Mitchell, the former Superintendent of Maryland State Police and past Secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Homeland Security for Delaware. Additional experts may be included in the panel in the coming days.

“We are steadfast in uncovering the truth about the events of July 13, and I am thankful to the esteemed members of this independent panel, who bring extensive experience in law enforcement and security operations to this crucial investigation,” Mayorkas stated. “This independent review will scrutinize the incident and deliver actionable recommendations to ensure the agency fulfills its no-fail mission most effectively and to prevent a recurrence of such events.”

The Secret Service’s conduct in the lead-up to and on the day of the assassination attempt on Trump has faced intense scrutiny. President Biden has mandated an independent review of the incident. Mayorkas announced that the panel would execute a 45-day review of the planning and actions executed by the Secret Service, as well as state and local authorities, before, during, and after Trump’s rally.