Several agents at the Pittsburgh field office of the U.S. Secret Service have reportedly been placed on administrative leave following the attempted assassination of former President Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13.
A separate group of USSS agents specifically assigned to protect President Trump remains active, a source familiar with the matter told RealClear Politics.
USSS Public Affairs Director Anthony Guglielmi told Fox News Digital in a statement that service employees are “held to the highest professional standards, and any identified and substantiated violations of the policy are subject to investigation by the Office of Professional Ethics and may result in disciplinary action.”
The USSS would not directly confirm whether any employees had been placed on administrative leave, with Guglielmi adding that due to the “personal” nature of the matter, the agency was “not in a position to comment further.”
“The United States Secret Service is committed to investigating the decisions and actions of its personnel related to the incident in Butler, Pennsylvania and the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump,” Guglielmi said. “The United States Secret Service’s Mission Assurance Review is ongoing and is examining the processes, procedures and factors that led to this failed operation.”
Sources told RealClearPolitics that the decision to place the Pittsburgh office agents on administrative leave, along with other agents assigned to Trump’s security, has sparked internal speculation that the Pittsburgh office will bear most of the blame for the July 13 missteps.
Following the stunning shooting that left Corey Comperatore killed, David Duch and James Copenhaver seriously injured, while the former president only suffered a scratched ear, many lawmakers have called for the Secret Service to make changes and fire employees.
Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned less than two weeks after the shooting and after giving her initial testimony about the incident before members of Congress.
Police body camera footage released on August 9 shows the moments after gunman Thomas Crooks, 20, opened fire at the rally, and local police in Butler can be heard discussing how the Secret Service was supposed to be guarding the AGR building where Crooks opened fire.
“I told them, we gotta put them over here… Secret Service,” the officer says in the video. “I told them on Tuesday, we gotta put them over here.”
Video taken by Copenhaver from the stands clearly shows a figure moving across the roof of the AGR building just three minutes before shots rang out.
Additionally, the office of Louisiana Republican Senator Higgins recently revealed that the USSS had not retrieved radios that had been secured by Butler County Tactical Command and arranged for during the pre-mission planning process.
The Congressional Trump Assassination Attempt Task Force is scheduled to visit Butler on Monday to meet with local officials and gather more first-hand information about the July 13 incident.
