Panel Warns Of ‘Deep Flaws’ in Secret Service, Demands ‘Fundamental Reform’

The Secret Service has "deep flaws" that allowed the attack during a Trump campaign rally, according to an independent panel's investigation into the July assassination attempt on then-candidate Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.

The panel called for "fundamental reform" of the agency to ensure it can effectively fulfill its mission of protecting high-ranking government officials worldwide.

In a letter signed by all four members, the panel reported "numerous mistakes" uncovered during the investigation of the attempted assassination, as well as "deeper systemic issues that must be addressed with urgency."

“The Secret Service as an agency requires fundamental reform to carry out its mission,” the members stated. “Without that reform, the Independent Review Panel believes another Butler can and will happen again.”

The panel dedicated its findings to Corey Comperatore, who lost his life in the shooting, and to James Copenhaver and David Dutch, who were injured, along with their families.

“These actions will be responsive not only to the security failures that led to the July 13, 2024, assassination attempt but, importantly, to what the Independent Review Panel describes as systemic and foundational issues that underlie those failures,” the members wrote.

The report highlighted "deeper concerns" within the Secret Service, including a "troubling lack of critical thinking" displayed by personnel before and after the incident, "corrosive cultural attitudes" about resource allocation, and a "lack of clarity" regarding responsibility for security at protectee events.

The panel criticized the agency's leadership, citing an "insufficiently experienced-based approach" by Trump’s detail, poor selection of agents for critical tasks, and a failure to take full responsibility for security planning at the Butler rally.

These issues, the report stated, "reveal deep flaws in the Secret Service, including some that appear to be systemic or cultural."

The panel recommended appointing new leadership with experience from outside the agency and refocusing on the Secret Service's "core protective mission" to address the problems identified.

“The Secret Service must be the world’s leading governmental protective organization,” the report declared. “The events at Butler on July 13 demonstrate that, currently, it is not.”

In response, President Donald Trump has nominated Sean Curran, the head of his personal Secret Service detail, as the next director of the U.S. Secret Service. Curran was one of the agents who acted swiftly to shield Trump during the attempted assassination on July 13 and was already expected to be named to the role.

On Wednesday, Trump called Curran’s appointment an “honor” in a Truth Social post.

“Sean is a Great Patriot, who has protected my family over the past few years, and that is why I trust him to lead the Brave Men and Women of the United States Secret Service,” Trump wrote.

“He is a brilliant leader, capable of directing and implementing operational security plans for some of the most complex Special Security Events in the History of our Country and the World. He proved his fearless courage when he risked his own life to help save mine from an assassin’s bullet in Butler, Pennsylvania. I have complete and total confidence in Sean to make the United States Secret Service stronger than ever before,” Trump added.

Additionally, Trump announced on Wednesday that Andrew F. Puzder has been nominated to serve as the next U.S. ambassador to the European Union.