Secret Service Aware of Threat Before Trump’s Assassination Attempt
A senior official with the US Secret Service knew about a “classified threat” to President Donald Trump’s life ten days prior to the assassination attempt on July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania. However, this information was not communicated to the agents responsible for his protection, as revealed in a report released by the federal Watchdog on Saturday.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported that the critical information reached the Secret Service leadership nearly two weeks before the incident but failed to get to the field teams. They referred to this issue as “siloed practices for agencies to share categorized information.” The GAO noted, “The Secret Service had no process to share classified threat information with its partners if the information was not deemed an imminent threat to life.”
The specific details of the threat remain confidential, but Secret Service officials have allegedly classified it as “highly categorized.” The report mentioned that broad sharing of this information within the Secret Service was hindered by its sensitive nature and specific restrictions on sharing.
Moreover, the findings highlighted that the Secret Service lacked a proper process for disseminating classified threat information to partners deemed critical to security operations but not facing an imminent threat to life. It also clarified that the information was general and not directly linked to the Butler event.
A special agent in charge of the Pittsburgh Field Office, overseeing the area of the Butler Rally, stated he was unaware of the threat beforehand. The report indicated that had he received the threat information, it might have prompted additional security measures, such as using ballistic glass and deploying a full counter-sniper team.
The agent assigned to the Butler site was responsible for identifying vulnerabilities but was not experienced in that role and had never organized a large outdoor event, according to the findings.
The report further noted concerns regarding the preparedness and capabilities of Secret Service agents at the rally. Out of the 14 agents interviewed, five reported they had to rely on personal judgment and past experience due to inconsistent protection guidelines.
Additionally, the Secret Service reportedly lacked functional drones during the event, with issues stemming from malfunctions or inexperienced personnel managing them.
The assassination attempt ultimately resulted in the death of firefighter Corey Comperatore and left two others injured, while Trump escaped with a bullet grazing his ear.
