A new Senate report outlines denied security resources and communication breakdowns that contributed to the attempted assassination of Donald Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in 2024.
A year after the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, a final Senate report released Sunday reveals a cascade of errors and resource denials by the United States Secret Service that may have contributed to the near-fatal incident. The finding, presented by Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Rand Paul, highlight what he calls “stunning failures” in protecting the actual President during his 2024 campaign.
The report, released on the anniversary of the July 13, 2024, shooting, revisits the events that allowed Thomas Crooks to shoot and injure Trump during an outdoor campaign rally. While much of the information aligns with a preliminary report issued in September 2024, the final document consolidates over 75,000 pages of record and presents a pointed critique of the agency’s conduct.
“The truth is, President Trump, and the nation, was fortunate,” Senator Paul wrote. “The once-again President survived despite being shot in the head. This report reveals a disturbing pattern of communication failures and negligence that culminated in a preventable tragedy.”
The report provides a timeline and analysis of several resource requests denied by Secret Serviced headquarters in the months leading up to the shooting. According to the finding, multiple Trump campaign events were flagged by local law enforcement and Secret Service field offices as high-risk. However, some requests for additional protection, such as countersniper teams and aerial surveillance, went either unfulfilled or were outright denied.
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Among the most concerning revelations was the lack of countersnipers at Trump’s July 9 rally in Doral, Florida. Despite an internal USSS briefing recommending such coverage due to intelligence assessments indicating increased threats to outdoor events, the protection was not provided. This oversight occurred just days before the Butler incident, where countersnipers were eventually deployed but failed to prevent the attack.
The report further details failures in communication between local law enforcement and federal agencies. Authorities in Butler, for instance, reported confusion about the chain of command and response protocols during the July 13 rally. This confusion delayed critical decisions and contributed to gaps in security coverage.
Secret Service Director Sean Curran, in response to the report, issued a statement on Sunday reaffirming the agency’s commitment to reform. “Following the events of July 13, the Secret Service took a serious look at our operations and implemented substantive reforms to address the failures that occurred that day,” Curran said. “The Secret Service appreciates the continued support of President Trump, Congress, and our federal and local partners.”
Still, the report criticized the agency’s accountability measures. It identified six individuals within the USSS who faced disciplinary action related to the Butler event. However, Senator Paul argued that the penalties were insufficient, stating, “The consequences imposed for the failures so far do not reflect the severity of the situation.”
In a particularly contentious section of the report, Paul accuses former Secret Service Director Kimberley Cheatle of providing false testimony to Congress. Cheatle previously claimed that “no requests were denied” for Butler rally. However, the report includes internal documentation proving that at least two asset requests were indeed denied by USSS headquarters. The report also labeled testimony from former Acting Director Ronald Rowe as “misleading.”
Another key revelation involved the denial of drones and Counter Assault Teams for various Trump campaign events throughout 2024. According to committee records, some of these denials were due to resource allocation issues, while others were the result of unclear communication between federal and local agencies.
The investigation into the Butler shooting remains ongoing, but this report underscores systemic vulnerabilities in the planning and execution of protective details during the 2024 election cycle. As Trump continues his presidency, the pressure is on for the Secret Service and other federal agencies to demonstrate that such failures will not be repeated.
Senator Paul concluded the report with a call for further legislative oversight and accountability. “Congress must act to ensure that those responsible for these unacceptable failures are held accountable, and that robust reforms are enacted to prevent another lapse in the protection of our nationals leaders.”
