Assassination attempt on Trump: Investigation against Secret Service

Following the assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, the Inspector General of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has launched an investigation. This is reported by the news agencies (AP) and .

Specifically, it concerns the security precautions that the secret service took for former US President Donald Trump during the election campaign event in Pennsylvania.

In a report published on the Inspector General’s website, the goal of the investigation is to “evaluate the U.S. Secret Service’s process for securing former President Trump’s campaign rally on July 13, 2024.” The investigation is intended to shed light on whether security measures were adequate and where there may have been lapses.

No date was given for the investigation to begin. The notice is part of a long list of ongoing cases being pursued by the inspector general’s office, Reuters reported. It is listed under the category of “counterterrorism and homeland threats.”

Assassination attempt on Donald Trump: Secret Service under criticism

President Joe Biden had already ordered an independent review of security measures at the rally.

The assassination attempt on Trump has raised questions about how the gunman was able to climb onto a rooftop from which he had the former president in his sights. Trump was wounded in the ear by the assassin, and a spectator died in a hail of bullets. The 20-year-old gunman was able to get within 135 meters of the stage where Trump was speaking when he opened fire – despite the fact that there were apparently simultaneous Iranian assassination plans against Trump. These had already led to increased security precautions for the former president.

Secret Service Director Kim Cheatle said the agency recognizes the importance of the investigation ordered by Biden and will participate fully in it, as well as in the congressional committees investigating the shooting. She said the agency is working to understand how Saturday’s shooting happened and to ensure it never happens again.

The agency, which employs around 7,800 people, is responsible for protecting presidents, vice presidents, their families, former presidents, their spouses and their children under the age of 16, as well as other high-ranking cabinet members such as the Secretary of Homeland Security.