A new Senate report released by Ranking Member Sen. Rand Paul (R–Ky.) on Sunday identifies “a cascade of failures” by the U.S. Secret Service during the July 13, 2024, attempted assassination of former President Donald J. Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The report concludes that the agency “denied multiple, repeated requests for enhanced security measures,” failed to relay warnings about a rooftop threat, and maintained inadequate internal communication—failures that nearly cost Trump his life. But former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, in a statement released the same day, strongly disputed the report’s characterization of her actions and leadership.
“While I agree that mistakes were made and reform is needed, that fateful day was literally a perfect storm of events,” Cheatle wrote. “For the Butler rally, I actually did direct additional assets to be provided, particularly in the form of agency counter snipers.”
Warnings Unheeded, Requests Denied
The Senate Homeland Security Committee’s investigation found that state and local law enforcement had issued “multiple warnings” about a suspicious man seen on a rooftop with a range finder, roughly 30 minutes before the shooting. These warnings, the report states, were not relayed by the Secret Service’s command post to agents in the field.
The committee also uncovered four separate requests for additional security measures—including elevated observation points and countersniper support—that were allegedly denied, contradicting testimony given by Cheatle to Congress last year.
In her Sunday statement, however, Cheatle maintained that she had not misled lawmakers.
“At the time I provided my congressional testimony… the information provided to me by personnel from Headquarters and the Trump detail… confirmed my statement that no requests for additional support had been denied to our agents at Butler,” she said. “Any assertion or implication that I provided misleading testimony is patently false.”
No Firings, Minimal Discipline
Despite the seriousness of the security breach, the report reveals that “no employees have been terminated” and only six received suspensions ranging from 10 to 42 days. One key agent—who failed to escalate rooftop threat warnings—was “cleared of wrongdoing” and “allowed to quietly retire in June 2025.”
Sen. Paul criticized the lack of accountability, stating: “This was not a single error or a one-off failure… Some of these individuals may remain in positions of responsibility, potentially even for the 2024 general election.”
A Call for Reform, Not Scapegoating
Cheatle, who resigned shortly after the shooting, emphasized that leadership failures must be addressed—but also warned against scapegoating individual agents for systemic issues.
“It does a disservice to those men and women on the front lines who have been unfairly disciplined for a team, rather than individual, failure,” she said.
With nearly three decades of public service, Cheatle said she hoped the Secret Service and Congress “will use this opportunity to strengthen the agency’s ability to perform its important missions.”
