Here are the biggest takeaways from final report on Secret Service failures during Butler, PA Trump assassination attempt

The report was released one year to the day after would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks took aim at President Donald Trump on the campaign trail, grazing his ear with a bullet and killing rally attendee firefighter and father Corey Comperatore.

"The report exposes a disturbing pattern of denials, mismanagement, and missed warning signs—some occurring just minutes before shots were fired," the report states.

Trump was speaking during a campaign stop in Butler, PA when shots rang out. He clutched his head and was pulled down behind the podium by Secret Service agents only to rise again, raise his fist, and yell "Fight, Fight, Fight!"

Would-be assassin Crooks was on a rooftop in direct sight of the podium and there is reason to believe Secret Service should have secured that area—they did not. Crooks was killed by agents at the scene. Little is known about Crooks even one year on.

Here are the key findings of the report:

1. US Secret Service (USSS) denied multiple requests for additional staff, assets, and resources to protect President Trump during the campaign.
2. USSS did not fire a single person involved in the planning and execution of the Butler rally. USSS formally disciplined only six personnel, some of whom received their disciplinary decision as recently as July 2025. In two instances, the final disciplinary decision was a reduced punishment from what was originally recommended.
3. Former Director Kimberly Cheatle falsely testified to Congress that no USSS asset requests were denied for the Butler rally.
4. Despite USSS leadership receiving an intelligence briefing regarding the protectee and authorizing counter snipers at all of President Trump’s outdoor rallies a day prior, counter snipers were not present at the July 9, Doral campaign rally.
5. There were ill-defined responsibilities for USSS agents serving in advance roles.
6. USSS agents failed to communicate crucial information regarding the suspicious individual to President Trump’s shift detail, which had the ability to prevent him from taking the stage.
7. Pertinent threat intelligence related to the protectee was not shared with USSS agents in charge of security at the Butler, Pennsylvania, rally.
8. There was a severe lack of coordination and communication between USSS and state and local law enforcement from the advance process through the event.

“What happened in Butler, Pennsylvania, was not just a tragedy—it was a scandal. The United States Secret Service failed to act on credible intelligence, failed to coordinate with local law enforcement, and failed to prevent an attack that nearly took the life of a then-former president,” said Chairman Paul.

“Despite those failures, no one has been fired. And we only know what little discipline was handed out because I issued a subpoena. That’s unacceptable. This was not a single lapse in judgment. It was a complete breakdown of security at every level—fueled by bureaucratic indifference, a lack of clear protocols, and a shocking refusal to act on direct threats. We must hold individuals accountable and ensure reforms are fully implemented so this never happens again.”

USSS Chairman Report Final July 20254 by The Post Millennial on Scribd