Des Moines Sun

U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) has released a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report concerning the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. The report, compiled at Grassley's request, criticizes the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) for failing to share classified threat information with federal and local law enforcement prior to the event.

The GAO found that senior USSS officials received intelligence about a threat to President Trump’s life ten days before the rally but did not communicate this information effectively. According to the GAO, "the Secret Service had no process to share classified threat information with partners when the information was not considered an imminent threat to life." The GAO offered eight recommendations for improvement, including proactive sharing of threat information.

The report highlights various procedural and planning errors by the USSS that contributed to an unsecure environment during the event. These errors included misallocation of resources and lack of training, ultimately allowing Thomas Matthew Crooks to fire a near-fatal shot at President Trump and take the life of a spectator.

Senator Grassley stated, "One year ago, a series of bad decisions and bureaucratic handicaps led to one of the most shocking moments in political history. The Secret Service’s failure on July 13th was the culmination of years of mismanagement."

Grassley emphasized his commitment as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee to work closely with the USSS for improvements. He allocated $1.17 billion in funding for USSS through legislation known as One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

In addition to releasing this report, Grassley disclosed a letter from Department of Homeland Security Inspector General Joseph Cuffari addressing allegations that USSS personnel frequently use personal cell phones for official communication.

Key findings from the GAO report include failures in threat information sharing and inadequacies in roles and responsibilities among USSS personnel during planning for events like Trump's rally. Additionally, there were issues with technology used at these events and limitations imposed by resource allocation processes within the agency.

Grassley’s oversight efforts have provided detailed insights into security failures surrounding last year’s assassination attempt against former President Trump while also highlighting ongoing challenges faced by protective agencies such as communication barriers or inadequate resource distribution policies within their operations today.