After Trump Assassination Attempt: How U.S. Secret Service's Failures Were Exposed

The assassination attempt on former U.S. President and current Republican candidate Donald Trump marked a critical turning point for the Secret Service.

Trump was shot in the upper part of his right ear while delivering a speech at a campaign rally near Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024.

Details of the incident revealed significant failures in the agency's performance. Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old man, fired eight rounds from an AR-15 rifle from the rooftop of a building approximately 400 feet (120 meters) away from the stadium.

The attack resulted in the death of one attendee and seriously injured two others before the perpetrator was shot and killed by the Secret Service's counter-sniper team.

Following the incident, Sky News commented that while Crooks' bullets only grazed Trump's ear, they struck at the heart of the world’s most professional security force, the Secret Service.

So, what is the U.S. Secret Service? What are its responsibilities? And what challenges does it face after the Trump assassination attempt?

Resignations and Investigations

One of the most significant actions following the assassination attempt was the resignation of Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle on July 23.

Cheatle testified for hours at the Capitol, facing intense questioning from lawmakers about the agency's failures that allowed the attempt on the former president's life to occur.

“The Secret Service’s solemn mission is to protect our nation’s leaders. On July 13th, we failed,” she told lawmakers on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, referring to the Republican presidential candidate for the November 2024 election.

In August 2024, U.S. media reported disciplinary actions within the agency following the assassination attempt, and several agents were placed on leave after the incident.

Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesman for the Secret Service, said its review of "this operational failure" was ongoing, adding that agents were held to "the highest professional standards" and any violations could result in disciplinary action.

Meanwhile, Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe previously pushed back on pressure to fire agents in response to the shooting, saying he would not “rush to judgment” before an internal investigation had played out.

He also pledged to hold accountable those who did not follow Secret Service policies in planning for the rally or responding to the shooting.

Restructuring

In a special report, CBS discussed the potential restructuring of the Secret Service, particularly concerning the representation of women within the agency.

The report noted that before the assassination attempt, the Secret Service aimed to increase the percentage of women in its ranks to 30% by 2030.

However, after the attempt, footage showing female agents hiding behind Trump instead of assisting in his evacuation from the scene brought embarrassment to the agency and sparked debate over the competence of the female recruits.

In an interview on Fox News, Republican Congressman Tim Burchett said that this is what happens when you do not put the best players in the right positions.

Conservative commentator Candace Owens also weighed in, saying, “Let men protect men,” while adding that it was not meant as a disrespect to women.

Kimberly Cheatle, appointed by President Joe Biden as the Secret Service Director in 2022, became the second woman to lead the agency.

Despite this, she faced criticism from billionaire Elon Musk, a staunch Trump supporter, who attributed her failure to her previous experience with PepsiCo, a beverage and food company.

Nonetheless, the Secret Service continues to face criticism under both male and female leadership, not only for repeated security lapses but also for a series of unethical behaviors, sexual scandals, and financial misconduct.

History of the Agency

The Secret Service's headquarters is located in Washington, D.C., with over 150 offices spread across the United States.

It comprises 7,000 personnel, including special agents, uniformed division officers, technical law enforcement officers, and administrative, professional, and technical staff.

Established in 1865 as the Secret Service Division by President Abraham Lincoln, the agency initially focused on combating counterfeiting.

Over time, it evolved into one of the United States' key law enforcement agencies, eventually becoming an intelligence agency within the Treasury Department.

In 1901, Congress enacted legislation to regulate the Secret Service’s duties, including the protection of the President and the White House, following the assassination of President William McKinley.

Since then, the agency has focused on two primary missions: preventing financial crimes and ensuring a secure environment for protected individuals, under the Department of Homeland Security.

Protected individuals include the President, Vice President, their families, former Presidents and their spouses for life, and children of former Presidents under 16 years old.

The same protection applies to former Vice Presidents and their families, as well as visiting heads of state and high-ranking foreign dignitaries.

The Secret Service protects major presidential and vice-presidential candidates and their spouses during the 120 days leading up to the general presidential election.

Various Duties

The Secret Service is also responsible for securing major events, a duty added to its mandate after the September 11, 2001 attacks. Since then, the agency has overseen security for non-political gatherings and significant national events that could be targeted, such as political conventions and major sporting events.

In terms of financial matters, the Secret Service works to protect U.S. banks and businesses from computer crimes, ransomware, and phishing schemes. It prevents various hacking tools and techniques used to steal money and sensitive information from citizens' bank accounts and national companies.

The agency's teams are organized based on their functions in Investigation and Protection.

Among the investigation teams are Cyber Operations, Criminal Investigations and Support, Counterfeit Detection, Forensic Services, and the Cyber and Financial Crimes Unit.

For protection tasks, there is the Special Agents Unit, along with a unified team that secures the locations of protected individuals. This team collaborates with units including Canine Units, Emergency Response, Counter-Sniper Teams, Motorcade Support Teams, and Crime Scene Investigation Units.

Secret Service Failures

The assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963 is considered the greatest failure in the history of the Secret Service. It was a scandalous incident for the agency, particularly since, at that time, there were suspicions about the protection team's alcohol abuse and heavy drinking.

Following this, the agency underwent comprehensive reforms and changes, with its members receiving intensive training. It became an elite unit that Americans aspired to join.

However, in 1981, a similar disaster almost occurred with the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan. One individual managed to shoot Reagan, with the bullet penetrating his lung. The situation was somewhat mitigated when a Secret Service officer was hit by one of the bullets aimed at Reagan.

Former U.S. intelligence official Norman Roule told BBC on July 17, 2024, that the agency underwent reforms after the Reagan assassination, expanding in size and technological use, but the significant reforms targeted financial crimes.

Nevertheless, in 2012, a scandalous incident rocked the Secret Service during President Barack Obama's visit to Colombia. At that time, several members of the protective detail brought prostitutes to their hotel rooms.

The situation escalated when a financial dispute arose between some agents and one of the women, leading to the resignation of then-director Mark Sullivan. Eight officers were forced to resign after being implicated in the Colombia scandal.