(The Hill) — The Secret Service has taken initial disciplinary action against multiple agents following the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, the first such steps taken since the July shooting.
The special agent in charge of the Pittsburgh field office, which was responsible for security planning for Trump’s appearance at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, was among those placed on “administrative duty.”
A source said as of Monday, at least five agents have been placed on that status, which removes them from operational assignments but still requires them to appear for work, including for actions such as speaking with lawmakers during a scheduled visit next week by a congressional task force assembled to review the shooting.
NBC News first reported the development.
Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe previously pushed back on pressure to fire agents in response to the shooting, saying he would not “rush to judgment” before an internal investigation had played out.
But he also pledged to hold accountable those who did not follow Secret Service policies in planning for the rally or responding to the shooting.
The disciplinary action against the agents suggests the review may have found such shortcomings.
The protective agency has been under intense scrutiny after shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks was able to fire shots from within 150 yards of Trump, piercing the former president’s ear, killing one rally attendee and wounding two others.
Secret Service planning for the event left the building Crooks fired from outside the perimeter set to be protected by the agency.
The agency did not directly address reports of disciplinary action Friday.
“The U.S. Secret Service is committed to investigating the decisions and actions of personnel related to the event in Butler, Pennsylvania and the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump,” it said in a statement.
“The U.S. Secret Service’s mission assurance review is progressing, and we are examining the processes, procedures and factors that led to this operational failure. The U.S. Secret Service holds our personnel to the highest professional standards, and any identified and substantiated violations of policy will be investigated by the Office of Professional Responsibility for potential disciplinary action. Given this is a personnel matter, we are not in a position to comment further.”
The bipartisan task force assembled to investigate the security failures surrounding the shooting is set to visit the site of the Butler rally Monday, a first step in its review of the agency and the response to the assassination attempt.
