Ten days before the attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, senior Secret Service officials were briefed on a classified threat to the then former President’s life—but failed to alert the agents responsible for his protection, a congressional watchdog report has revealed.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that the Secret Service’s internal systems for sharing classified intelligence were siloed and ineffective, contributing directly to a breakdown in rally security planning.
“The Secret Service had no process to share classified threat information with partners when the information was not considered an imminent threat to life,” the GAO report stated.
Rally agents kept in the dark
The GAO report, released by Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on Saturday, revealed that neither the Secret Service agents on the ground nor local law enforcement had been informed about the threat.
“Secret Service and local law enforcement personnel central to developing site security plans for the rally were unaware of the threat,” the report noted.
Even the special agent in charge of the Secret Service’s Pittsburgh field office—which had jurisdiction over the rally—reported that he never received the information.
“He reported that if he had received the threat information, he would have requested additional assets, such as ballistic glass, additional drone mitigation, and a full counter-sniper advance team,” the GAO said.
“Multiple opportunities to share—But they failed”
Senator Grassley sharply criticised the agency, saying the Butler shooting was the result of cascading failures.
“One year ago, a series of bad decisions and bureaucratic handicaps led to one of the most shocking moments in political history,” Grassley said in a statement, according to The New York Post.
“The Secret Service’s failure on July 13th was the culmination of years of mismanagement and came after the Biden administration denied requests for enhanced security to protect President Trump.”
Grassley described the 98-page GAO report as a “comprehensive overview of the failures” and called for urgent reforms.
“This information would not have been possible without congressional oversight, and my work will continue,” he was quoted as adding.
“Americans should be grateful that President Trump survived that day and was ultimately reelected to restore common sense to our country.”
Inexperience and equipment failures
The GAO also flagged major operational deficiencies in the planning and staffing of the Butler rally:
Of the 14 agents interviewed, five said they relied solely on their own experience for decision-making, as there were no standard protocols or oversight.
The site agent assigned to Butler was new to the role, and the rally was her first time planning a large outdoor event.
Drone support was unavailable—either allocated to the party conventions or inoperable.
The few drones present were flown by inexperienced operators, and some malfunctioned during deployment.
Path forward?
The GAO’s findings come days after the Secret Service announced disciplinary actions against six agents and confirmed it had implemented 21 of 46 oversight recommendations, with 16 more in progress.
Grassley says the report offers not just a condemnation, but a roadmap.
“More importantly, this report offers a clear path forward for the Secret Service to improve, so it can prevent another Butler from ever happening again,” he said.
The July 13, 2024 attack left Trump wounded and a supporter dead, sparking multiple investigations and the resignation of Secret Service Director Sean Curran. The fallout continues to reshape security protocols surrounding political figures in the US.