Trump assassination attempt case: Secret Service suspends 6 personnel; deputy says 'can't fire our way out'

Secret Service has suspended six personnel meant to protect Donald Trump during an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, last year, CBS News reported.

"We aren't going to fire our way out of this. We're going to focus on the root cause and fix the deficiencies that put us in that situation," Secret Service deputy director Matt Quinn told CBS News on Wednesday (local time).

"Secret Service is totally accountable for Butler," he said, adding, "Butler was an operational failure and we are focused today on ensuring that it never happens again."

He said that agents involved in the July 13, 2024 security lapse, when a gunman opened fire at a Trump campaign rally, received penalties ranging from 10 to 42 days of unpaid leave. Upon returning, they were reassigned to lower-responsibility roles.

Despite public scrutiny, Quinn defended the agency’s decision not to fire anyone, saying they are focused on addressing the root causes of the failure. The incident resulted in one death, two injuries, and the gunman being killed by a Secret Service sniper.

A new system now enables Secret Service agents to communicate directly via radio with local law enforcement, interoperability that was missing during the July 13, 2024 assassination attempt Trump.

That incident, along with a second foiled attempt weeks later, led to the resignation of Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle and prompted multiple investigations. A bipartisan House task force's 180-page report in December revealed systemic leadership and training failures, citing inexperienced agents in key roles and poor coordination with local authorities. Lawmakers called the incident “tragic and preventable.”