- The House of Representatives Task Force on the Attempted Assassination of Donald J. Trump has finished a five-month investigation into the major security lapses in the U.S. Secret Service that led to two assassination attempts on Donald J. Trump.
- The task force identified multiple failures, including planning errors, confusion with local law enforcement partners, and site security issues, as well as communication and intelligence failures that occurred during the Butler, Pennsylvania rally.
- The task force's report, which was unanimously approved by voice vote, is set to be released to the public after undergoing conforming and technical changes in consultation with congressional staffers.
- Acting USSS Director Ronald Rowe admitted to the agency's failings and promised reforms, including expanding the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, improving training and accountability, and restructuring the Secret Service's Office of Investigations and Office of Field Operations.
- The USSS is planning to hire 650 new special agents and 350 uniformed officers to address staffing and operational issues.
The House of Representatives Task Force on the Attempted Assassination of Donald J. Trump has concluded and will soon release its full report regarding the major security lapses in the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) that led to two attempts on the president-elect's life.
The task force, led by Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA), finished nearly five months of work. Kelly himself noted that the task force has successfully worked to identify multiple failures at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, that led to Trump being shot, including planning errors that led to confusion with local law enforcement partners and a failure to secure the site.
"And this is most important: Communications and intelligence failures occurred in numerous ways, ranging from agents failing to speak up about problems they observed, training issues, inadequate resources and not having the ability to communicate with one another in the moment of the crisis," he said. (Related: Secret Service agents using fitness tracker Strava are unintentionally giving away the location of Biden, Trump and Harris.)
Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO), the task force's ranking member, commended the task force and its bipartisan approach to investigating the failures that led to the assassination attempts.
"But we also had another mandate – another unofficial mandate – and that was to come together as Democrats and Republicans and to show the nation that we can undertake the work of conducting an investigation, of uncovering the truth, and submitting a bipartisan report telling that story, and that is what we have done," said Crow.
By a voice vote, the task force unanimously approved its report on the security lapses that led to the assassination attempts. There is no word on when the full report will be made public.
Crow noted that the report will be made public after a process of "conforming and technical changes," in consultation with congressional staffers, which he said could happen "as soon as today, it might take a day or two."
Rowe admits to failings of Secret Service, promises reforms
USSS Acting Director Ronald Rowe Jr. was present at the task force's final hearing, admitting that the agency failed Trump.
He also acknowledged that USSS "did not meet the expectations of the American public, Congress and our protectees," citing such issues as underfunding and the heavy operational load on the Secret Service caused by the presidential election.
"The world is a dangerous place," Rowe said. "The responsibilities of the Secret Service are critical to the national security of the United States. It is important that decision-makers fully recognize and appreciate the vital role and significance of the Secret Service in our nation's security."
Rowe has stated that he is already working with Congress to implement changes, including expanding the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, improving training and accountability and directing an organizational change to restructure the Secret Service's Office of Investigations and Office of Field Operations. These restructuring efforts, he said, would "reset our thinking and perspective about the role field offices play in protection, and to enhance our operational effectiveness."
The USSS is on track to hire 650 new special agents and 350 uniformed officers.
Watch this clip from Fox Business showing the heated last hearing of the Task Force on the Attempted Assassination of Trump.
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