Nearly a year after the shocking attempted assassination of Donald Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, the fallout is still reverberating through the ranks of the U.S. Secret Service.
This week, six agents have officially been suspended over their roles in what’s now being widely described as a massive security breakdown.
What Happened That Day
On July 13, 2024, then-presidential candidate Donald Trump was mid-speech at a campaign rally when 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire.
One bullet grazed Trump’s ear, narrowly missing a fatal shot.
Tragically, Corey Comperatore, a firefighter attending the rally, was killed in the attack.
Secret Service countersnipers acted quickly and shot the gunman dead, but serious questions immediately followed about how he got so close in the first place.
Agents Suspended Over Security Failures
According to ABC News, six Secret Service agents, including both supervisors and frontline personnel, were formally suspended in the months following the attack.
Their suspensions range from 10 to 42 days without pay or benefits.
The agents have the right to appeal the decision, but the move signals how seriously the agency is treating the internal failures that allowed the shooter to breach the perimeter.
Leadership Shakeup and Accountability
The immediate aftermath of the shooting led to Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigning under pressure.
And now, Deputy Director Matt Quinn is making it clear that the agency is not brushing this off.
“We’re laser-focused on fixing the root cause of the problem,” Quinn told CBS News.
“We’re not going to fire our way out of this. We’re going to focus on correcting the deficiencies.”
He didn’t shy away from admitting responsibility either, saying: “Butler was an operational failure and we are focused today on ensuring that it never happens again.”
Communication Breakdown Was a Major Issue
One of the biggest criticisms that surfaced was around the poor coordination and communication on the ground that day.
Witnesses and investigators noted that having multiple command posts created confusion during a critical moment, delaying responses and undermining situational awareness.
Quinn said the Secret Service has since made major upgrades, including deploying military-grade drones and launching new mobile command centers that allow real-time radio communication with local police—something that was missing during the rally.
Investigations Point to Preventable Tragedy
Multiple investigations have painted a damning picture of what went wrong.
A House of Representatives task force released a 180-page report in December concluding that the shooting was “preventable and should not have happened.”
A separate Senate probe also slammed the lack of leadership, revealing that no single person was in charge of planning or security decisions for the rally.
An internal Secret Service review further found signs of complacency among agents tasked with protecting Trump that day.
The Road Ahead for the Secret Service
While the suspensions might seem like a disciplinary step, the agency insists it’s part of a broader effort to overhaul outdated systems and learn from what went wrong.
As Matt Quinn said, the focus now is on rebuilding trust and ensuring that this kind of failure never happens again—especially with another election season already underway.