Six Secret Service agents have been suspended over failures during the assassination attempt on President Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania last year. The then-presidential candidate Donald Trump was speaking at a rally in Butler on July 13, 2024, when 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire in a bid to assassinate Trump.
One bullet came close to hitting Trump, grazing his ear, while firefighter Corey Comperatore, who was attending the event, was shot dead. Secret Service countersnipers quickly shot dead the gunman. However, the agency faced intense scrutiny afterward over how Crooks managed to get so close to Trump, especially since he had been spotted in the area earlier.
Punished for Their Failure

As a result of the controversy, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle was forced to resign. The disciplinary actions within the agency continued, with six agents recently being informed that they would be suspended for their actions on the day of the incident, according to ABC News.
The six agents received suspensions ranging from 10 to 42 days and will not receive pay during their time off, Secret Service Deputy Director Matt Quinn told CBS News on Wednesday.
Although they will not be fired from the agency, the agents will be reassigned to positions with diminished operational duties once they return.
"We aren't going to fire our way out of this," Quinn told the outlet. "We're going to focus on the root cause and fix the deficiencies that put us in that situation."
"Secret Service is totally accountable for Butler," Quinn acknowledged. "Butler was an operational failure and we are focused today on ensuring that it never happens again."
All six agents have now been suspended in accordance with federally required protocols, Quinn said.
He also said that the Secret Service has introduced a new fleet of military-grade drones and set up mobile command centers. These upgrades enable agents to communicate directly with local law enforcement via radio — addressing a key weakness in the agency's handling of the assassination attempt.
Eyewitnesses had explained that the presence of multiple command centers during the July rally caused confusion and led to a disorganized response.
Investigation Leads to Suspensions

A scathing Senate report released in September concluded that multiple foreseeable and preventable planning and operational failures by [Secret Service] contributed," which ultimately allowed Crooks to carry out the deadly attack.
"These included unclear roles and responsibilities, insufficient coordination with state and local law enforcement, the lack of effective communications, and inoperable [Counter-Unmanned Aircraft] systems, among many others," the damning report read.
Two months later, a second attempt on Trump's life occurred at his golf course in Palm Beach, Florida.
Quinn insisted that the Secret Service takes "totally accountable for Butler."
"Butler was an operational failure and we are focused today on ensuring that it never happens again," he said.