In the aftermath of the July 13, 2024, assassination attempt on President Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, the U.S. Secret Service has suspended six agents for their roles in the security failures that allowed the attack to occur. The suspensions, ranging from 10 to 42 days without pay, reflect the agency’s acknowledgment of significant lapses in protective measures and coordination.
🚨BREAKING: Six Secret Service agents suspended over the Butler, PA assassination attempt on President Trump. pic.twitter.com/TJNZr3z6qJ
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) July 10, 2025
Identities and Roles of the Suspended Agents
While the Secret Service has not publicly disclosed the names of the suspended agents, reports indicate that the disciplinary actions affected five personnel from the Pittsburgh Field Office and one from Trump’s personal protective detail. Notably, the special agent in charge of the Pittsburgh Field Office and an agent assigned directly to Trump’s personal security team were among those suspended. Oh, and one Secret Service agent assigned to a counter-sniper role was among those suspended.
These agents were responsible for various aspects of the rally’s security, including advance site assessments, coordination with local law enforcement, and real-time protective operations. Their failure to adequately secure the venue and respond to identified threats contributed to the breach that allowed 20-year-old Thomas Crooks to carry out his attack.
Reasons for Suspension
The suspensions stem from a series of preventable failures identified in multiple investigations. A bipartisan Senate report highlighted issues such as unclear roles and responsibilities, insufficient coordination with state and local law enforcement, ineffective communication, and inoperable counter-unmanned aircraft systems. Sounds like broken drones to me.
Specifically, the shooter was able to position himself on an unguarded rooftop with a clear line of sight to Trump. Despite being spotted by local law enforcement 20 minutes before the attack, inadequate communication and response protocols allowed him to open fire, resulting in the death of firefighter Corey Comperatore and injuries to Trump and two others.
Current Status of the Agents
A full year after the July 2024 assassination attempt on Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, the six Secret Service agents slapped with suspensions still haven’t served a single day of their punishment. That’s right—despite being officially sidelined for operational screwups like failed communication and botched leadership, not one has begun their suspension as of July 2025. At least two of the agents are actively appealing, dragging the process out even further.
When (or if) they finally serve their unpaid suspensions, they’ll be reassigned to lower-responsibility roles within the agency.
Meanwhile, some higher-ups who were arguably just as responsible have skated by untouched—one or two even managed to get promoted. The Secret Service, true to form, won’t release the names or assignments of those involved, leaving the public to guess who’s actually being held accountable.
Reforms Implemented to Prevent Future Incidents
In response to the Butler incident, the Secret Service has undertaken several reforms to enhance its protective capabilities:
- Technological Upgrades: The agency has acquired a new fleet of military-grade drones and mobile command centers to improve surveillance and coordination with local law enforcement.
- Enhanced Communication Protocols: Efforts have been made to establish clearer lines of communication between federal agents and local authorities, including mandatory recording of all radio transmissions and operational logs.
- Leadership Changes: Following the resignation of Director Kimberly Cheatle, Sean Curran, the head of Trump’s security detail, who demonstrated valor during the attack, was appointed as the new director of the Secret Service. His firsthand experience is expected to drive meaningful reforms within the agency.
- Training and Protocol Revisions: The agency is revising its training programs to better prepare agents for high-pressure situations and is implementing new protocols to ensure more effective threat assessment and response.
These measures aim to address the systemic shortcomings that were exposed during the Butler rally and to restore public confidence in the Secret Service’s ability to protect national leaders. Let’s hope they work, because faith in the ability of the Secret Servicce to protect the President hasn’t been this low since immediately following the JFK assassination.
Update on the Shooter
As the dust settled after the attempt on Trump’s life, the picture of Thomas Matthew Crooks got a lot darker—and a lot more calculated. This wasn’t some spur-of-the-moment act by a disaffected loner. The FBI found homemade bombs at his house and in his car, plus a remote transmitter in his pocket and a backpack, the contents of which the FBI is not disclosing.
The guy brought a drone and flew it near the rally site two hours before shots rang out, casing the joint in near real time. He used a Panther Arms rifle—legally bought by his dad—and fired from a rooftop like he’d studied a playbook. And maybe he had. A week before the attack, Crooks Googled “how far was Oswald away from Kennedy.” That same day, he registered for Trump’s rally.
For the record, Oswald was only 81 meters from Kennedy when he fired his fatal shot. Crooks was about 122 meters from Trump when he took his shots. A two-foot putt for a skilled shooter.
Looking at digital trail, it is equally disturbing. Forensics show he’d been scouring the internet for pictures of Trump, Biden, and other high-profile figures. He even searched for Trump rally dates and the Democratic National Convention. Back in April, he looked up information about major depressive disorder, suggesting some internal struggle—but nothing that clearly explains why he’d turn a political event into a war zone.
He was no dropout either. Crooks graduated from high school in 2022, finished an associate degree in engineering science by May 2024, and had plans to attend Robert Morris University. He worked as a dietary aide at a nursing home and was known as a quiet, brainy kid. Maybe a bit awkward, but nobody’s red flag.
What we don’t have is a motive. No manifesto. No ties to foreign terrorists. No official diagnosis of mental illness. No smoking gun in his social media feeds. He was a registered Republican, yet gave money to a Democratic group—go figure. As of now, the feds say he acted alone, and his family’s been fully cooperative. But if this was a one-man op, it was one hell of a methodical one. Crooks wasn’t simply disturbed—he was deliberate. And that should scare the hell out of anyone who thinks this was a fluke.
Wrapping Up
The fact that six agents botched their mission and still haven’t served their suspensions a year later tells you everything you need to know: the Secret Service needs a gut renovation, not simply a fresh coat of paint. If this agency can’t keep a former president safe at a campaign rally in small-town Pennsylvania, what confidence should the public have in its ability to secure more complex, high-risk environments?
Accountability shouldn’t stop at sidelining a few mid-level agents. With Sean Curran now at the helm, it’s time for the Secret Service to stop protecting its own image and start rebuilding its reputation as a world-class protection agency.
The next would-be assassin won’t wait for them to get their act together.