SAEDNEWS: In the wake of a serious breach of security last year in Butler, Pennsylvania, the U.S. Secret Service has suspended six agents and launched reforms—yet deeper cultural and structural overhauls are deemed essential to restore public confidence and prevent future lapses.
According to Saed News, the U.S. Secret Service announced on July 9, 2025, that six of its agents have been suspended pending investigation after what senior officials characterized as “a major operational failure” during an assassination attempt on then–presidential candidate Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024.
That day, a lone gunman opened fire at a campaign rally, grazing Mr Trump’s ear with a bullet. A bystander, firefighter Corey Kompatorre, was killed in the crossfire before on‑site counter‑snipers neutralized the assailant, later identified by the FBI as 20‑year‑old Thomas Matthew Crooks.
An independent review by the Department of Homeland Security faulted a string of procedural breakdowns that left the candidate exposed. The report concluded that “the Secret Service is not operating at the elite level required for its critical mission,” and warned that the agency had grown “bureaucratic, complacent, and risk‑averse even as threats and technology evolve.”
Kimberly Cheatle, the agency’s director at the time of the shooting, resigned ten days after the incident. The suspensions of the six agents—whose roles ranged from supervisory positions to frontline detail—came after months of internal deliberations. Their suspensions, lasting between 10 and 42 days, carry the right to appeal.
Remarkably, just nine weeks later, while Mr Trump was at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, he was subjected to a second assassination attempt. In both cases, the former candidate was elevated to presidential‑level protection, forcing his campaign team to adopt stringent new security protocols for public events.
While the Secret Service has begun procedural reforms—updating training, tightening command‑and‑control structures, and investing in new surveillance tools—experts say that rebuilding trust will require more profound cultural change. “Suspending a handful of agents is only the first step,” said one security analyst. “The agency must transform its organizational culture to meet evolving threats—and ensure no public figure is ever left so vulnerable again.”
