At least five Secret Service agents have been put on modified duty following the attempt on former President Donald Trump’s life in July, a law enforcement official revealed. This group includes the special agent in charge of the Pittsburgh field office and three other agents from that office, responsible for security preparations before the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13. One of the five agents was part of Trump’s protective detail. The official who disclosed this information did so on the condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly about the personnel investigation.
These agents are currently on administrative leave, which prohibits them from performing investigative or protective duties. Investigations have been launched to examine a law enforcement breakdown that enabled an individual to get close enough to shoot and wound Trump at the rally. While Trump sustained a minor injury to the ear, one bystander was killed, and two others were wounded in the incident.
The shooting highlighted a significant failure in one of the agency’s primary responsibilities and resulted in the resignation of the then-director of the Secret Service, Kim Cheatle. During a congressional hearing post the event, Cheatle acknowledged that the Secret Service had been informed about a suspicious individual multiple times before the shooting occurred. She also disclosed that the rooftop where Thomas Matthew Crooks carried out the shooting had been identified as a potential vulnerability a few days before the rally.
Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr., who assumed the role following Cheatle’s departure, admitted that he could not justify why the rooftop had not been better secured.
