At least five Secret Service agents have been placed on administrative leave following the disastrous systemic failure that nearly resulted in the assassination of former President Donald Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13.
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One member of Trump’s personal protective detail and four members of the Pittsburgh Field Office, including the special agent in charge, have been identified for possible disciplinary action. One of the five agents was also the event coordinator.
If someone had set out to create the opportunity for an assassin to kill Trump, it is difficult to see what they would have done differently. There was no coordination between the Secret Service and local law enforcement, and a counter-sniper team was assigned only the day before the rally, and they didn’t have time to complete their site survey. A building within easy rifle shot of the podium from which Trump would speak was never secured. Secret Service and local authorities used different communications devices, and there was no consolidated command center. My colleague, Susie Moore, documents all the anomalies in this post: Unbelievable: Higgins’ Report Reveals FBI Released Shooter’s Body for Cremation Just 10 Days After J13 .
For all of RedState’s coverage of the Trump assassination attempt, click this link.
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The head of the Secret Service, Kim Cheadle, resigned after a brutal hearing in which she could not or would not answer the most basic of questions.
BACKGROUND: BREAKING: Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle Resigns After Disastrous Hearing
Even so, the Secret Service seems incapable of performing its responsibilities in anything like a professional manner; see, I’m Sorry, What? Secret Service Agent Abandoned Post at Trump NC Event to Breastfeed.
We’ll soon know if this is a real investigation or a coverup. The decision to deprive Trump of adequate protection was made far above the Pittsburgh Field Office. If all the blame is placed on a handful of field agents and a pyramid of (figurative) heads isn’t built outside Secret Service headquarters in Washington, then all we’re seeing is a coverup perpetrated, and Congress should not stand by and let it happen.