Final House Report: Secret Service Failures Made Trump's Pennsylvania and Florida Assassination Attempts Preventable

Dec 10, 2024, 09:09 PM

The House's bipartisan Task Force on the Attempted Assassination of Donald J. Trump released its 180-page final report on Tuesday, concluding that the assassination attempts against President-elect Donald Trump were preventable and resulted from "various failures in planning, execution, and leadership" within the Secret Service and other federal agencies. The report highlighted significant shortcomings in preparation, coordination, and communication, particularly during the July 13 attack at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and a second attempt in Florida two months later, allegedly perpetrated by Ryan Routh near a golf course on September 15. The task force made 37 policy recommendations to improve future security, including changes to Secret Service operations such as recording all radio transmissions and limiting protection of foreign leaders during the election season to focus on U.S. officials. It also suggested that Congress consider narrowing the agency's mission and possibly removing it from the Department of Homeland Security. The investigation faced challenges due to alleged stonewalling by the Department of Homeland Security, Secret Service, FBI, and ATF in providing requested documents related to the incidents.