Several members of the United States Secret Service belonging to the Pittsburgh office or Donald Trump’s security team have been transferred to administrative duties for failures in the operation to protect the former president, who suffered an assassination attempt on July 13 at a rally.
According to US press reports on Friday (23), the agents, some of whom were involved in planning the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, will now perform administrative duties or work from home.
One of those involved, according to CBS News, is the head of the Pittsburgh field office. According to Fox News, at least five people were affected: a member of Trump’s personal protection team and four members of the Secret Service’s Pittsburgh field office.
The Secret Service’s internal affairs division is still investigating how a 20-year-old man was able to fire eight shots from a rooftop near where Trump was holding an outdoor rally and wound the former president in the ear.
Then-Director of the US Secret Service Kimberly Cheatle resigned ten days later over security failures at this rally and after claiming that the assassination attempt was the agency’s “biggest operational failure” “in decades.”
Last week, it emerged that the Secret Service had approved a plan to increase Trump’s security that includes the use of bulletproof glass panels. Bulletproof equipment is typically only provided to presidents and vice presidents when deemed necessary for outdoor appearances.
The Republican candidate held his first outdoor rally since the assassination attempt last Wednesday (21), under heightened security.
The location was the city of Asheboro, in the key state of North Carolina, where Trump was protected by the aforementioned glass panels.
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