Six Secret Service Agents Suspended Following 2024 Trump Assassination Attempt

Six U.S. Secret Service agents have been suspended without pay or benefits following the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July 2024.

Speaking to CBS News on Wednesday, Secret Service Deputy Director Matt Quinn said the disciplinary actions were part of a federally mandated review process and emphasized that the agency’s focus extends beyond individual punishment.

“We weren’t going to fire our way out of this,” Quinn said. “We’re laser focused on fixing the root cause of the problem.”

According to Quinn, the six employees received suspensions ranging from 10 to 42 days without pay. After returning to duty, they were reassigned to positions with reduced operational responsibilities.

Butler Rally Security Failure

The Secret Service has faced sustained scrutiny since the July 13, 2024, shooting at Trump’s rally in Butler, where gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks fired multiple rounds toward the stage.

Trump was struck in the ear by a bullet, while two attendees were seriously wounded. Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old firefighter, husband, and father, was killed while shielding his family. Crooks was fatally shot by a Secret Service sniper moments later.

Quinn acknowledged the agency’s responsibility for the security breakdown.

“Secret Service is totally accountable for Butler,” Quinn told CBS News. “Butler was an operational failure, and we are focused today on ensuring that it never happens again.”

He said the agency has concentrated on identifying and correcting the operational deficiencies that contributed to the incident.

Security Changes After the Attack

Following the Butler shooting, the Secret Service implemented several security upgrades, including deploying military-grade drones and mobile command centers designed to improve communication and coordination with local law enforcement agencies, according to Fox News.

The agency faced additional criticism just weeks later after a second assassination attempt targeting Trump at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida. Although that incident was stopped before any shots were fired at the former president, it intensified scrutiny of the agency’s protective operations.

The controversies ultimately led to the resignation of then-Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle and prompted multiple congressional hearings and federal investigations.

Congressional Report Called Attack “Preventable”

In December, a bipartisan House task force released a 180-page report concluding that the Butler assassination attempt was “preventable.”

The report cited longstanding leadership shortcomings, inadequate training, and poor coordination between the Secret Service and local law enforcement as major factors contributing to the security failure.

Investigators concluded that these deficiencies created an environment in which the attack was able to occur.

Trump Expresses Confidence in FBI Investigation

Last week, President Trump said he is satisfied with the FBI’s investigation into the Butler shooting, appearing to put months of speculation about the case to rest.

Responding to a question from Daily Caller White House correspondent Reagan Reese, Trump said he was “very satisfied” with the bureau’s findings.

His comments marked a shift from earlier statements in which he expressed skepticism about aspects of the investigation.

In a previous interview with Fox News, Trump said:

“I’m relying on my people to tell me what it is. The Secret Service, they tell me, is fine. But it’s a little hard to believe.”

Earlier this year, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino also rejected claims of a broader conspiracy surrounding the assassination attempt.

“In some of these cases, the ‘there’ you’re looking for is not there,” Bongino said during a Fox News interview. “If it was there, we would have told you.”

When asked in March whether Trump accepted Bongino’s assessment, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt declined to elaborate, telling reporters that Trump’s previous public comments spoke for themselves.

FBI Reviewing Other High-Profile Cases

In May, Bongino announced that the FBI had reopened or expanded reviews of several high-profile investigations involving potential public corruption.

Among the cases receiving renewed attention are the 2021 pipe bombs placed near the Democratic and Republican National Committee headquarters in Washington, the cocaine discovered at the White House in 2023, and the leak of the Supreme Court’s draft Dobbs decision that preceded the overturning of Roe v. Wade.