Secret Service Missed 102 Warnings Before Trump's Shooting, Watchdog Finds
The watchdog said the agency missed 102 radio alerts and failed to detect a drone flight, exposing major communication and security gaps.
- On Thursday, the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General released a report finding the Secret Service missed 102 local radio transmissions about the gunman at the July 13, 2024, rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
- Poor coordination between the Secret Service and local law enforcement hampered the response, as the agency failed to establish a joint communications room to receive urgent warnings about a suspicious person later identified as Thomas Crooks.
- Staffed by a single under-trained operator, the agency's counter-drone system remained inoperable, allowing Crooks to conduct a nearly nine-minute undetected drone flight over the site hours before the shooting.
- Secret Service Director Sean Curran confirmed the agency concurred with the inspector general's recommendations and implemented security reforms, including disciplining six staffers with suspensions ranging from 10 days to six weeks without pay.
- Congressional investigations continue to pressure the agency, which reported July 10, 2025, that it had implemented 21 of 46 recommendations to prevent future security lapses, with 16 more in progress.
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Secret Service missed more than 100 radio calls before Trump assassination attempt in Butler, watchdog report says
U.S. Secret Service agents missed more than 100 radio calls from local law enforcement officers in the lead-up to the assassination attempt of then-presidential...
Secret Service missed 102 radio calls before 2024 Trump shooting, report says | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
WASHINGTON >> The U.S. Secret Service did not receive 102 local radio transmissions about the gunman who attempted to assassinate President Donald Trump at a 2024 campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, according to a government watchdog report released on Thursday.
Inspector General: Secret Service Missed 102 Radio Calls About Trump's Would-Be Assassin at 2024 Butler Rally
Local law enforcement made a stunning 102 radio calls about then candidate Donald Trump’s would-be assassin lurking and taking his firing position at the 2024 Butler, Pennsylvania rally that almost took the president's life — but the U.S. Secret Service didn’t hear a single one of them.
The missed opportunities to prevent the assassination attempt are focused on a lack of internal procedures, poor coordination and problematic communication - Trump was injured in the ear and a bystander was killed before a police sniper neutralized the perpetrator.
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