John Jefferson
Several members of the U.S. Secret Service Pittsburgh Field Office have reportedly been placed on administrative leave following the July 13 assassination attempt against former President Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.
A different group of USSS agents specifically assigned to Trump’s detail remain operational, sources familiar with the matter told RealClear Politics.
Anthony Guglielmi, USSS chief of communications, told Fox News Digital in a statement that the agency’s personnel are held “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.”
USSS did not directly confirm any employees placed on leave, but Guglielmi added that given the “personal” nature of the matter, the agency is “not in a position to comment further.”
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“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,” Guglielmi said. “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.”
Sources told RealClear Politics that the decision to place Pittsburgh Field Office employees on leave versus the other agents assigned to Trump’s detail has created some internal speculation that the local office may bear the brunt of responsibility for failures on July 13.
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Various lawmakers have called on the Secret Service to make personnel changes and fire employees after the assassination attempt that killed Corey Comperatore and left two others, David Dutch and James Copenhaver, severely injured, while the former president astoundingly walked away with only a grazed ear.
Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned less than two weeks after the shooting and after giving her initial testimony about the event before members of Congress.
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Police-worn body camera footage released on Aug. 9 shows the moments after gunman Thomas Crooks, 20, opened fire at the rally in which local Butler law enforcement can be heard discussing how Secret Service was apparently supposed to secure the AGR building Crooks shot from.
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“I f—ing told them they need to post the f—ing guys over here … the Secret Service,” the officer says in the video. “I told them that f—ing Tuesday. I told them to f—ing post guys over here.”
A video taken by Copenhaver from his point of view in the stand also shows a figure clearly moving across the roof of the AGR building just three minutes before gunfire rang out.
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Additionally, Republican Louisiana Sen. Higgins’ Office recently revealed that the USSS did not retrieve radios that had been set aside for them by Butler County tactical command and arranged during their pre-mission planning process.
The congressional Trump Assassination Attempt Task Force will be in Butler on Monday to meet with local officials and gather more first-hand knowledge about the events of July 13.
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