The Secret Service has finally revealed the actions taken in response to its catastrophic failure during the attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Butler, Pa., last year. Six agents were suspended, a small but significant step in addressing a security breakdown that nearly cost a former president his life—and did cost an innocent American his.
Six Secret Service agents were suspended without pay following a gunman's attempt to take President Donald Trump's life at a Pennsylvania rally last July, the agency confirmed to Fox News.
The suspensions affected supervisors and line-level agents, and ranged from 10 to 42 days without pay.
The disciplinary action took place in February, the Secret Service said, which confirmed the news because a Senate report on the failures in Butler, Pennsylvania, is set to be released any day.
No agents were fired, as the Secret Service told Fox News that the entire agency failed, rather than individuals.
To state the obvious, what happened in Butler was a disgrace. Donald Trump, a former president at the time and the Republican presidential nominee, was standing at the podium when shots rang out. One bullet grazed his ear. The shooter, Matthew Crooks, managed to fire multiple times from a rooftop less than 400 yards away. The fact that he got off a single shot—let alone several—is a damning indictment of the agency tasked with protecting our leaders.
The Secret Service’s explanation for why that rooftop was unsecured has never been satisfactory. The agency stonewalled, dodged, and offered up bureaucratic excuses. Congress, to its credit, roasted the agency for its ineptitude. The pressure was so intense that then-Director Kimberly Cheatle was forced to resign—an admission, however tacit, of just how badly the agency had failed.
ICYMI: Did Joe Biden’s Doctor Just Confirm a Cover-Up of His Health?
This wasn’t just a failure to protect Donald Trump—it was a catastrophic breakdown that cost an innocent man his life. Corey Comperatore, a firefighter and devoted father, was killed because the Secret Service failed to do its most basic job: secure the perimeter. His death isn’t just a tragedy—it’s a glaring indictment of an agency that has grown complacent, bloated, and detached from the gravity of its mission. This wasn’t a simple oversight. It was a systemic collapse, the kind that happens when accountability is replaced by bureaucracy and critical lapses are written off as “mistakes.”
An independent review by the Department of Homeland Security found “a series of law enforcement breakdowns” that left Trump vulnerable to an assassin. It concluded, “The Secret Service does not perform at the elite levels needed to discharge its critical mission.” The agency, the report said, “has become bureaucratic, complacent, and static even though risks have multiplied and technology has evolved.”
The suspended agents have been given the right to appeal. It’s a start, but let’s be honest: It’s not nearly enough. The American people deserve an agency that operates at the highest level, not one that hands out slaps on the wrist after a near-tragedy.
Accountability in government is rare enough. When it comes to the safety of our leaders, it’s non-negotiable. The Secret Service’s failures in Butler were not just a matter of poor judgment—they were the result of a culture that has lost sight of its mission. Heads have rolled, but the agency’s problems run deeper than a handful of suspensions.
The Secret Service’s failure in Butler wasn’t just a mistake—it was a systemic collapse that nearly cost a former president his life and took an innocent man’s. PJ Media exposes these truths the mainstream media refuses to cover. Join PJ Media VIP today with promo code FIGHT for 60% off and get exclusive content, ad-free browsing, and the power to engage in the fight for America’s future. Don’t wait—stand with us and demand the accountability our leaders deserve.