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Multiple Secret Service agents have been placed on administrative leave as the investigation into last month's assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump continues. The incident, which occurred during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, left Trump with a minor ear injury and resulted in the death of one attendee.
According to reports from Fox News and other outlets, at least five agents have been sidelined, including four from the Pittsburgh Field Office and one from Trump's protective detail. This action comes nearly six weeks after the shooting, suggesting serious concerns about security failures that allowed the assailant to access a nearby rooftop.
The shooter, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, fired several shots from a building less than 150 yards from the stage where Trump was speaking. One bullet grazed Trump's right ear, while firefighter Corey Comperatore was fatally wounded. Two other attendees, James Copenhaver and David Dutch, suffered injuries.
In the aftermath, former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned on July 23. During a congressional hearing on August 9, acting Director Ronald Rowe Jr. acknowledged "failure on multiple levels," citing issues with imagination and challenging assumptions. Rowe also pointed to communication breakdowns with local law enforcement, who had reportedly spotted Crooks on the roof prior to the shooting but failed to relay this information to the Secret Service.
"Neither the Secret Service counter sniper teams nor members of the former president's security detail had any knowledge that there was a man on the roof of the building with a firearm," Rowe stated at the hearing.
The incident has raised serious questions about the agency's protocols and preparedness. Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi told CBS News that a "mission assurance review is progressing," emphasizing that any "substantiated violations of policy will be investigated by the Office of Professional Responsibility for potential disciplinary action."
Trump, 78, thanked the Secret Service in a public statement following the incident, while also extending condolences to the victims and their families. The former president's brush with death has sent shockwaves through the political landscape, reigniting debates about campaign security and the challenges of protecting high-profile candidates.
The coming weeks will likely bring further developments as investigators continue to piece together the events leading up to the assassination attempt and work to prevent similar incidents in the future.
