The shock from the Trump assassination attempt has turned to scrutiny of the Secret Service

Secret Service tending to Donald Trump onstage at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, after he was shot at.
Secret Service tending to Donald Trump onstage at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, after he was shot at.

Welcome back. The US is still coming to grips with the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.

In today’s big story, we examine the scrutiny the Secret Service is facing and what former special agents are saying about the tragedy.

What’s on deck:

But first, what happened?


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The big story

Examining a tragedy

trump with his fist in the air, bleeding from his ear

As the shock subsides from the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, many Americans are wondering the same thing: How did this happen?

On Sunday, President Joe Biden said he ordered an independent investigation into Trump’s security detail at the rally, writes Business Insider’s Brent D. Griffiths.

That’ll mean more attention toward an agency that prides itself on operating behind the scenes. The Secret Service has faced questions about what it did (or didn’t) do that led to such a close call, write BI’s Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert and Lauren Edmonds.

Saturday was the closest assassination attempt of a US president or presidential candidate since President Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981.

But that’s not to say the Secret Service has avoided controversy over the last 40-plus years since the Reagan shooting. From hiring prostitutes in Colombia during a presidential visit to a knife-wielding intruder making it into the White House, the agency has faced numerous scandals, writes Brent.

Secret Service agents converge on Trump on the stage of his Pennsylvania campaign rally, while a uniformed agent stands nearby holding a rifle.
Secret Service agents converge on former President Donald Trump onstage at his Pennsylvania campaign rally.

Saturday’s assassination attempt, however, will be the agency’s biggest black eye in recent memory.

The gunman, identified by the FBI as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was only about 450 feet from Trump when he opened fire from the roof of a nearby building, writes BI’s Rebecca Rommen.

He used an “AR-style” rifle that was legally purchased, according to the FBI, and police found explosives inside his car.

At least one local officer reportedly encountered Crooks on the roof prior to the shooting, but retreated. Crooks was able to fire off three rounds before a counter-sniper returned fire, killing him.

The post-shooting response by Trump’s security detail was “textbook,” but things like the heat and staffing cost the team crucial seconds, a former special agent told BI’s Laura Italiano and Kenneth Niemeyer.

Ultimately, another former Secret Service agent said the entire event represents a failure for Trump’s security detail, BI’s Matthew Loh and Cameron Manley report.

And while Trump was able to escape relatively unharmed, at least one rallygoer was killed while two others were critically injured. Corey Comperatore, 50, was shielding his wife and daughters when he was killed, his family said.


News brief

Your Monday headline catchup

A quick recap of the top news from over the weekend:


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In other news


What’s happening today

  • Goldman Sachs and other companies report earnings.
  • GOP National Convention begins.

The Insider Today team: Dan DeFrancesco, deputy editor and anchor, in New York. Jordan Parker Erb, editor, in New York. Lisa Ryan, executive editor, in New York. Jack Sommers, deputy editor, in London. Annie Smith, associate producer, in London. Amanda Yen, fellow, in New York.

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