SS Suspends Agents On Trump’s Detail During PA Assassination Attempt
Six Secret Service agents were suspended without pay or benefits following an attempted assassination of President Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania in July 2024.
Matt Quinn, the agency’s deputy director, told CBS News on Wednesday that they “weren’t going to fire [their] way out of this,” but did say they are “laser focused on fixing the root cause of the problem.”
Quinn told the outlet that the agents received penalties ranging from 10 to 42 days of unpaid leave and were assigned to restricted roles with reduced responsibilities upon their return. He added that the disciplinary measures followed a federally mandated process.
The agency faced intense criticism after the security breach that enabled gunman Thomas Crooks to open fire toward the stage at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024.
Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old firefighter, father, and husband attending the event, was killed. President Trump was grazed by a bullet, and two other men were wounded by the gunfire. Crooks was ultimately killed by a Secret Service sniper.
“Secret Service is totally accountable for Butler,” Quinn told CBS. “Butler was an operational failure and we are focused today on ensuring that it never happens again.” He also said the agency is focusing on the “root cause” of the operational failure and fixing “the deficiencies that put us in that situation.”
Since the Butler rally, Quinn stated that the Secret Service has deployed a new fleet of military-grade drones and mobile command posts to enhance radio communications with local law enforcement, Fox News reported.
The agency faced renewed criticism weeks later following a second assassination attempt on Trump in West Palm Beach, Florida. Although the attempt was thwarted, then-Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned, and the agency became the focus of multiple investigations and congressional hearings.
In December, a bipartisan House task force released a 180-page report declaring the Butler incident “preventable,” pointing to “preexisting” leadership and training deficiencies that “created an environment” conducive to security failures.
The report also noted that Secret Service did not coordinate well with local law enforcement.
Trump made some comments last week regarding the government’s investigation into one of the assassination attempts against him last year.
In response to a reporter’s query on Friday, the president said he’s “very satisfied” with the FBI’s investigation into the assassination attempt against him in Pennsylvania.
Trump made his remarks to Daily Caller White House Correspondent Reagan Reese on Thursday, putting to rest months of speculation and doubt surrounding the case. Until now, Trump had stopped short of giving the FBI a full endorsement, The Daily Caller reported.
In an earlier interview with Fox News, he admitted some parts of the case didn’t sit right. “I’m relying on my people to tell me what it is … The Secret Service, they tell me, is fine. But it’s a little hard to believe,” he said.
Back in March, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino told Fox News there was no evidence of some grand conspiracy against Trump. “In some of these cases, the ‘there’ you’re looking for is not there. And I know people — I get it, I understand. It’s not there. If it was there, we would have told you,” Bongino said.
That same month, Daily Caller’s Reese pressed White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt about whether Trump was satisfied with Bongino’s answer.
Leavitt responded, “Well, in the lead-up to your question, you answered your own question with the president’s own words, and I’ll leave it at that.”
In May, Bongino announced investigations into some well-known cases that involve “potential public corruption.”
The cases, which appeared to be ignored during the administration of former President Joe Biden, that are getting a new look include the attempted pipe-bombing in Washington, D.C., cocaine that was found at the White House, and the leak of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision that ended Roe v. Wade.
Serious Threat To Our Country' - Trump Issues Dire Warning To The Nation, Names The Biggest Challenge Americans Face
THE RED DILEMMA: Trump Outlines Midterm War Script at Road to Majority Summit After Socialist Swings Fracture New York Base
WASHINGTON, D.C. — JUNE 29, 2026 — President Donald Trump warned Friday that a wave of far-left victories in New York City’s Democratic primaries represents one of the greatest dangers facing the United States, arguing the results should serve as a wake-up call ahead of November’s midterm elections.
Speaking before thousands at the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s annual Road to Majority conference in Washington, Trump blasted the Democratic Party’s leftward shift after several candidates backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani scored major primary victories earlier this week.
“These ruthless communists will attack all religions, but in particular Christianity,” Trump told the audience.
“This is the greatest threat to our country since its founding.”
Trump’s remarks came just days after three progressive candidates supported by Mamdani won Democratic primary races in New York, including two members of the Democratic Socialists of America.
Their victories have fueled growing Republican efforts to portray the Democratic Party as increasingly dominated by its progressive wing heading into the 2026 midterm elections.
Trump argued that the movement extends beyond economic policy and represents a broader ideological threat.
At one point during his speech, the president described communists as “animals” who would assassinate their political opponents, though he did not offer evidence supporting that claim.
The remarks carried additional significance because Trump was speaking at the Washington Hilton, the same hotel where an armed man attempted to breach security while the president attended the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in April.
Authorities later identified the suspect as 31-year-old California resident Cole Tomas Allen, who has pleaded not guilty to charges that he attempted to assassinate the president.
Security around Friday’s event appeared noticeably tighter, with additional guards stationed throughout the venue and several entrances blocked off.
Republicans have increasingly seized on the New York primary results as evidence that Democrats are moving further left while voters remain primarily concerned about inflation, housing costs and the broader economy.
Political observers have suggested the victories give Republicans fresh material as they seek to defend their narrow congressional majorities this fall.
The candidates backed by Mamdani defeated two incumbent House Democrats and another candidate supported by the Democratic establishment.
While Republicans frequently characterize Democratic Socialists as communists, democratic socialism generally advocates expanding government-run social programs through the electoral process rather than replacing democratic institutions.
Many candidates aligned with the movement support policies including universal health care, tuition-free public college, expanded child care programs, stronger labor protections and higher taxes on wealthy Americans.
Several have also made opposition to U.S. military aid to Israel and support for Palestinians central themes of their campaigns.
Democrats quickly rejected Trump’s characterization.
Aidan Johnson, a spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, argued Republicans were attempting to distract voters from substantive issues.
“Know they can’t win on the issues, so we’re seeing them melt down in real time, resorting to ineffective boogeyman attacks,” Johnson said.
Trump’s appearance also highlighted some of the tensions within his own political coalition.
The president has remained popular with many evangelical Christians by backing policies such as protecting women’s sports and opposing biological males competing in female athletics.
At the same time, some pro-Israel Christians have criticized Trump’s ceasefire agreement with Iran, while some anti-abortion advocates have argued the administration has not gone far enough on pro-life priorities.
During Friday’s speech, Trump defended his handling of Iran and declared that his administration had successfully prevented Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
The Faith and Freedom Coalition gathering has long served as one of the Republican Party’s premier events for evangelical voters and conservative activists, Reuters reported.
With the midterm elections approaching, Trump’s speech offered a preview of what is likely to become a central Republican campaign message: portraying the Democratic Party’s progressive wing as increasingly driving the party’s agenda while urging voters to reject what Republicans view as an increasingly radical political movement.
