United States Secret Service officials have confirmed that internal reviews have found multiple security failures the day of the attempted assassination of Donald Trump approximately two months ago, including planning lapses and communication mistakes.
Acting Director Ronald Rowe told reporters that the interim report pointed to “complacency” by some agents. The report noted that one of the most significant failures was Secret Service agents not being aware of the presence of a suspicious person because both the police and Secret Service were using separate radio frequencies.
The report also revealed failures regarding the securing of the building that the shooter fired from. The events of July 13 caused the last director of the Secret Service to resign after originally being placed on administrative leave. “Secret Service did not give clear guidance or direction to local law enforcement partners,” Rowe told reporters on Friday.
A gunman fired eight shots at Trump from the roof of a building. One bullet grazed the Republican White House candidate’s left ear, and a member of the crowd died while two others were injured before a sniper from the Secret Service shot the shooter on the roof.
Rowe’s internal findings on Friday revealed that Trump’s security detail had no idea state or local law enforcement agents were actively searching for a suspicious person, who was later identified as the gunman. Had they been aware, Donald Trump’s security detail would have had the opportunity to move him to a safe location during the time law enforcement was searching for the individual, Rowe explained.
Law enforcement communicated critical information outside the frequencies used by the Secret Service. The shooter was ultimately able to retrieve to a nearby rooftop, with a direct line of sight to Trump while he was speaking at the rally. Rowe detailed there was a “lack of follow-through” to access control and securing the building, from which the shooter appeared to have fired from. Along with a lack of security being implemented with regards to gaining access to the building, Rowe explained security officers did notice line-of-sight potential from the building, but the situation was unfocused, and not mitigated or taken to a supervisor.
