Inside the Summer of Secret Service Failures
Molly O'Brien
August 31, 2024
In recent months, the Secret Service (USSS), the federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Homeland Security to protect political leaders of the United States and their families, has faced scrutiny for several public failures and humiliations.
On July 13th, 2024, while speaking at an open-air campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, former president and, at the time, the presumptive Republican nominee for the presidential election, Donald Trump, survived an assassination attempt that shocked the nation. Thomas Matthew Crooks fired his AR-15-style rifle eight times into the crowd from a rooftop just outside the USSS’s perimeter. One person died as a result of the shooting, as well as Crooks, who was shot down by the USSS’s sniper squad positioned on a nearby roof. Such a grave oversight in security planning raised many questions amongst the media and everyday Americans.
When protecting political candidates at rallies, the USSS is not the only law enforcement agency involved. In the case of the Butler shooting, local police officers were also on the scene to assist. As is the procedure, the USSS met with local law enforcement days before the rally. However, Butler police officers described this seemingly crucial meeting as “informal and disorganized.” Local law enforcement officials were left to come up with their own plan for guarding the rally. In fact, the USSS did not present their finalized plan until 1:30 pm on the day of the rally—30 minutes after doors had already opened.
The USSS had designated the roof that Crooks fired his gun from as a possible threat but believed that that portion of the rally was under the jurisdiction of local law enforcement. However, Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger disagrees, stating that the building was always “under the jurisdiction of the Secret Service.”
A lack of fluid communication also led to Crook being able to get to the roof. At 4:26 pm, a sniper spotted Crook breaching the barrier. He alerted another officer stationed nearby. The officers relayed that information back to the local command, who alerted the State Police, who then told the USSS. However, testimonies from Acting USSS Director Ronald Rowe revealed that the USSS never received any information about a potential shooter.
Post-shooting, former USSS Director Kimberly Cheatle faced intense questioning from members of Congress. She eventually resigned and was replaced by Rowe on July 23. Rowe told Senators that he was ashamed of the attempted assassination and would investigate the failures that led to Crook being able to fire his gun. Congress is also vowing to thoroughly investigate the incident. Since that time, five officers have been put on leave.
This incident, however, is not the only USSS failure this Summer. On July 27th, Vice President Kamala Harris held her rally in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Businesses in the town were alerted that they would need to shut down for a portion of the day for Vice President Harris to be properly protected. All of the business owners agreed, including Alicia Powers, owner of Four One Three Salon.
When Powers opened the salon later that day, she discovered a picked lock. After reviewing her exterior surveillance tapes, Powers discovered a person dressed like a member of the USSS tapping over the lens of the camera directly outside the building. Footage from inside the salon revealed several people going in and out of the salon for 90 minutes while the alarms went off, using the restroom and computers without permission.
Melissa McKenzie, a USSS spokesperson, said in an emailed statement to USA Today that "The USSS has since communicated with the affected business owner. We hold these relationships in the highest regard and our personnel would not enter, or instruct our partners to enter, a business without the owner’s permission."
As the 2024 Presidential election cycle heats up for its final months, the USSS’s job is more important than ever. The agency, despite its very public failures in recent months, must be on its A-game to protect the two presidential candidates. Acting Director Rowe has vowed to investigate the Agency's wrongdoings over the last month and to refocus on the primary job: protecting the people in charge of our government.