USA Secret Service reveals concrete mistakes in Trump assassination attempt

Following the assassination attempt on Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, the Secret Service has admitted to specific mistakes. An internal investigation has revealed various communication failures, including in exchanges with local forces, said the agency's acting head, Ronald Rowe, in Washington.

Some important information had not been passed on via the usual communication channel and had therefore not reached everyone, he said. Problems had been recognized in advance but not passed on to superiors and not rectified.

Rowe said individual agents who had checked the site in advance had been negligent, resulting in a breach of security. "These employees will be held accountable." He emphasized that various technical and organizational changes had been initiated since the attack.

Since the attack, Trump has also received the same protection as the incumbent president. At the same time, Rowe referred to the particular burden placed on the Secret Service by the election year and many other high-profile events. "We have limited resources, and we're stretching those resources to the max right now."

The assassination attempt in Butler

A gunman opened fire at a Republican Party campaign rally in the town of Butler, Pennsylvania, in mid-July and shot Trump. One visitor to the rally died and two others were injured. Trump was injured in his right ear. The perpetrator was killed by security forces.

The Secret Service is responsible for protecting high-ranking politicians - including the incumbent president, but also former office holders or presidential candidates such as Trump.

After the assassination attempt on the Republican, there was much criticism of the Secret Service's approach because the shooter was able to reach a nearby roof with a direct view of the stage despite all the security measures. There were also indications that the young man's behavior had already attracted the attention of security officials before Trump's appearance, but that the former president was still allowed to enter the stage.

After the attack, the then head of the Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle, admitted that the service had failed and later resigned. Rowe took her place and expressed her "shame" at the failures at the scene of the crime.

There had been another incident just a few days ago: The Secret Service fired on an armed man at Trump's golf course in the state of Florida, who had been hiding in the bushes while the ex-president was playing there. The suspect himself did not fire a bullet and fled, but was arrested and charged shortly afterwards. The authorities assume that he also wanted to assassinate Trump.

SDA