Sen. Romney: Attack on Trump in PA shows ‘enormous failures in leadership’ at the Secret Service

The latest congressional report on the July 13 assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump details failures by the U.S. Secret Service leading up to the attack.
During the July 13 campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania, suspect Thomas Matthew Crooks aimed shots at the former president from the rooftop of the AGR building. A bullet grazed the former president’s ear. One attendee at the rally was killed and two others were injured.
The Senate’s joint report from the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations was released Wednesday. It painted a step-by-step picture of the Secret Service’s lack of preparedness, from initial planning to moments before the suspect shot at Trump.
The office of Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, who sits on the Senate Homeland Committee, in a statement to the Deseret News said, the GOP senator “has said there is no question that there were enormous failures in leadership at the Secret Service, and the Department of Homeland Security must share in the blame.” Romney will consider any recommendations proposed by his colleagues, his office added.
Here are the key findings from the report.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, said the findings point to “multiple failures.”
“Not only did USSS fail to ensure the AGR roof was adequately covered, they were also aware of a suspicious individual with a rangefinder for at least 27 minutes and did not delay proceedings or remove former President Trump from the stage, even after being informed that the suspicious individual was on the roof of the AGR building,” Paul said.
“Someone needs to be held accountable for these egregious failures,” he said, adding the Secret Service, the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and other federal agencies have allegedly obstructed the bipartisan investigation. But Paul promised to push for answers.
The report comes amid continued threats against Trump by Iran.
In a post on social media Tuesday night, Trump said, “Big threats on my life by Iran.”
“Moves were already made by Iran that didn’t work out, but they will try again. Not a good situation for anyone,” the former president said. “I am surrounded by more men, guns, and weapons than I have ever seen before.”