A year after an infamous campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, the Secret Service’s incompetence remains a festering wound. On July 13, 2024, a gunman nearly assassinated then-candidate Donald Trump, killing retired firefighter Corey Comperatore. The agency’s failures, from ignored threats to shoddy planning, demand continued scrutiny, as RealClearPolitics reports.
At a December 2024 Christmas party, Trump publicly shamed junior agent Myosoty Perez, declaring her unwelcome for her role in the Butler security debacle. His bluntness underscores a broader distrust in an agency plagued by bureaucratic bumbling. The MAGA faithful, still reeling, want heads to roll.
Six agents -- Perez, Meredith Bank, Dana Dubrey, Tim Burke, Brian Pardini, and John Marciniak -- faced unpaid leave of 10-42 days, though the fact was only announced last week. RealClearPolitics exposed their names, sparking outrage over the Secret Service’s wrist-slap approach. “We’re not going to fire [our] way out of this,” Seccret Service Deputy Director Matt Quinn told CBS News, dodging accountability like a seasoned bureaucrat.
Helen Comperatore, Corey’s widow, didn’t mince words, calling the Secret Service “garbage” and a “hot mess” on Fox News. Her pain is palpable; her husband died shielding his family at the rally. The agency’s light penalties mock her loss, fueling public fury.
Trump called Helen to offer support, while Secret Service Director Sean Curran promised a meeting to review the case. Such gestures feel hollow when the agency’s systemic rot remains unaddressed. A grieving widow deserves more than platitudes.
A bipartisan Independent Review Board and two congressional probes were charged with dissecting the Butler failures. Sen. Chuck Grassley’s eventual report revealed that senior Secret Service leaders knew of an Iranian assassination plot against Trump 10 days prior to the Butler rally. Yet, they kept local law enforcement and key agents, like Perez, in the dark.
The FBI arrested a Pakistani man tied to Iran for soliciting assassins on July 12, 2024, just before the rally. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found Perez, tasked with Butler’s security plan, was never briefed on the threat. This isn’t incompetence -- it’s malpractice.
Meredith Bank, the lead advance agent, knew of the threat but failed to inform her Pittsburgh Field Office colleagues. According to the GAO, local law enforcement would have bolstered security if they had been aware. The Secret Service’s failure to share critical intelligence left everyone exposed.
A Trump campaign staffer’s request to avoid having farm equipment near the AGR building, to preserve press photos, led to a jumbotron and a flag covering line-of-sight vulnerabilities. This decision allowed gunman Thomas Crooks to exploit the rooftop, firing shots that killed Comperatore. Bureaucratic vanity trumped security.
The Secret Service’s War Room rejected enhanced counter-drone equipment, and the malfunctioning gear they used let Crooks’ drone go undetected. The agent operating it had one hour of training -- laughably inadequate. “Severely inexperienced” is generous; it’s a recipe for disaster.
Cell phone communication failures crippled real-time coordination with local law enforcement. With tens of thousands at the rally, the Secret Service had no plan to address audio and data issues. This isn’t just poor planning -- it’s negligence bordering on criminal.
Sen. Ron Johnson, on July 11,, subpoenaed FBI Director Kash Patel for records on Crooks, demanding transparency. “The American people still do not have answers,” Johnson said, echoing a fed-up public. The FBI’s stonewalling only deepens suspicions of a cover-up.
Supervisors Nick Menster and Nick Olszewski, who approved the flawed security plan, escaped discipline and landed cushy roles. Meanwhile, Perez, with only 3.5 years’ experience, was sidelined to Miami, barred from Trump assignments. The agency protects its own while scapegoating juniors.
The Secret Service announced reforms on July 10, including better accountability and a new drone division. Yet, it ignored the Independent Review Board’s call to focus solely on protection, not financial crimes or child trafficking probes. This stubbornness ensures more failures.
The agency’s talent drain and lowered standards -- 30% of recent recruits lack bachelor’s degrees -- scream desperation. An unnamed agent told RealClearPolitics the bar is so low, “it’s almost like the agency is begging for a tragedy.” When two female agents brawled outside Obama’s home in May of this year, it all but cemented the Secret Service’s circus-like reputation.
