What Happened in Butler, PennsylvaniaOn July 13, 2024, former U.S. President Donald Trump was nearly assassinated during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. A man named Thomas Matthew Crooks shot at Trump from a nearby rooftop. The bullet hit part of Trump’s ear. One person in the crowd died, and two others were badly hurt.
Although the Secret Service is supposed to protect former presidents, many people — including Secret Service agents and members of Congress — now say the agency made serious mistakes that day.
Serious Mistakes
Several government reports found many problems with how the Secret Service handled the event:
Local police saw the shooter before he fired, but couldn’t alert the Secret Service in time.
There were communication problems between officers and agents.
The area wasn’t fully secured, and there were no barriers to block someone from shooting from far away.
Anti-drone technology failed.
One agent didn’t even pick up his radio.
It wasn’t clear who was in charge of safety at the event.
Even though the FBI had received information weeks earlier about a sniper threat from Iran against Trump, that warning was not shared with all agents on the ground in Butler.
Very Few People Punished
Just ten days after the shooting, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned. But beyond her, only six people from the Secret Service were punished, and their punishment was small — only short suspensions without pay.
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Many agents are upset because:
Some people who were responsible were actually promoted, not punished.
Most of the six punished were from the Pittsburgh field office, even though decisions were made at higher levels.
None of the six punished agents have completed their suspensions yet.
Some of them are appealing the punishment to avoid serving it.
One top agent who was in charge of Trump’s protection that day, Sean Curran, was later promoted to lead the entire Secret Service. That upset many people.
Senators and Lawmakers Want Answers
Senator Rand Paul sent a subpoena (a legal request) to the Secret Service asking who was punished for the security failures. The agency gave him the documents, and the subpoena was canceled.
A Senate report released later strongly criticized the Secret Service. It said:
“Not one person was fired after the Butler rally shooting.”
“Only six people were formally punished, and even some of them got lighter punishments than first planned.”
No One in Charge?
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Senator Gary Peters, who helped investigate the incident, said that when they asked who was in charge on the day of the shooting, no one had a clear answer. That shocked the investigators.
In April 2025, the Secret Service released a new rule saying that the lead agent protecting a person is fully responsible for the event’s safety. That means Curran — who was in charge of Trump’s protection — would be responsible for what went wrong. But instead of punishment, he got a promotion.
More Problems and Departures
Since the Butler incident, many top and experienced officials have left the Secret Service. This has caused concern that the agency is losing important knowledge and leadership.
Meanwhile, a lot of blame has been passed around inside the agency. Agents, senators, and investigators have all said there was too much finger-pointing, and not enough actual accountability.
Trying to Fix Things
Under Curran’s leadership, the Secret Service has tried to make changes:
A new division was created to review and improve security plans.
New rules were made to clearly show who is in charge at each event.
Better communication systems are being put in place, including radio use and better cooperation with local police.
A special drone unit was formed to protect against aerial threats.
Curran also hired a famous film director to make a $2 million recruiting video for the agency, which used photos from the Butler shooting. This upset many agents, who thought it was wrong to use a tragedy to promote the agency.Also read: practice ntc past studies
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Still Not Enough?
Some people think the changes are helpful, but others say they’re too late and that the agency is in worse shape than before the shooting.
A congressman involved in the investigation said the Secret Service needs a change in culture, not just new policies. He hopes Curran, as the new director, will bring about real change.
But critics still say not enough people have been held responsible, and many questions remain about how such a serious mistake could happen — and whether it could happen again.
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