Six Secret Service personnel who helped secure the location of a campaign rally where a shooter attempted to kill Donald J. Trump last summer were suspended, the agency announced Thursday.
Days before the first anniversary of the massacre, the agency released a statement stating that the suspensions, which are unpaid, range from 10 to 42 days. Citing privacy rules, it did not identify the agents or provide a timeline for the suspensions. Following the incident, all six were placed on restricted duty while the agency carried out its internal review.
According to a person familiar with the incident who was not permitted to speak about personnel concerns, the longest suspension was given to a young junior agent who was on Mr. Trump’s personal detail at the time. According to the source, the agent is also the only individual on Mr. Trump’s personal detail to be suspended.
Since a 20-year-old shooter managed to fire multiple shots at Mr. Trump while he was speaking onstage at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024, the agency has been under close examination. A gunshot touched Mr. Trump’s ear, marking the first attempt to kill a sitting or previous president since 1981. Two other people were hurt, and Corey Comperatore, a volunteer firefighter in the crowd, was murdered. The Secret Service killed the shooter.
Shortly after, Kimberly A. Cheatle, the agency’s then-director, resigned.
Agency leaders have been urged by lawmakers to hold people accountable for operational failures. Later that year, in September, while Mr. Trump was playing golf in Florida, a second attempt on his life was made. The suspect, who was hiding close to the course’s outer perimeter, was shot at by agents.
The agency’s head, Sean M. Curran, offered his thoughts on the Butler incident in a statement released on Thursday. The chief agent on Mr. Trump’s personal security detail at the time, Mr. Curran, was among those who rushed to his side to protect him when gunfire erupted. He was elevated to head the agency by Mr. Trump in January.
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