WASHINGTON-

A new Secret Service report on the July assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump said several personnel were aware of the obvious line-of-sight risks but found them “acceptable” and that equipment farm buildings were intended to obstruct the view from the neighboring building where the shooter was located. open fire was never used.

The internal review released Friday is the latest in a list of reports and investigations into the July 13 shooting at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, that killed one attendee and injured two others. Trump was shot in the ear before being removed from the stage.

A Secret Service counter-shooter shot and killed the shooter, Thomas Crooks.

A classified version of the report, produced by the agency’s Office of Professional Responsibility, was shared with members of Congress, while an unclassified seven-page synopsis was made public Friday. An initial version of the agency’s investigation into its own conduct was released in September.

The report largely echoes the findings of other investigations that have blamed poor communication between the Secret Service and local law enforcement who assisted that day and the agency’s failure to prevent the points of nearby views — including a building just 150 yards from the podium where Trump was scheduled to visit. speak – to be used by the shooter.

But it provides more detail about the failures of an agency facing intense scrutiny over its performance in what has been described as a “no-fail” mission protecting top U.S. leaders.

Line-of-sight issues

The report faulted Secret Service personnel for failing to find a way to mitigate the risk posed by a nearby cluster of buildings with unobstructed views of the podium.

Crooks climbed one of the buildings and fired eight shots before being killed.

“Many members of the Secret Service incorrectly assessed these risks to the former President’s line of sight as acceptable, leading to inadequate elimination,” the report said.

The report states that supervisors expected large agricultural equipment to be placed to obstruct the view between the buildings and the stage, but it was ultimately not used.

The report does not explain why they were not used, but says staff members who visited the site before the rally to plan for safety did not tell their supervisors that the line-of-sight issues did not had not been resolved.

Communication problems

The report details how the Secret Service created a security room for the event, where personnel from all law enforcement agencies that participated in the day were to be based. But only the Pennsylvania State Police ended up having someone in the security room, while local emergency managers had a separate room, according to the report.

“The advance team failed to follow up and ensure that the security room was staffed consistent with Secret Service methodology,” the report said.

The internal review also found that a Secret Service counter-sniper team failed to pick up the radio the local law enforcement team offered them, impairing their ability to communicate.

“These breakdowns in communication significantly contributed to the mission failure, leaving many of the protective operations personnel, including former President Trump’s protective agents, unaware of key information that led to the assassination attempt,” the report said.

The weather

The report suggests that high temperatures that day and the need to care for participants feeling the effects of the heat played a role in diverting the attention of security personnel.

One of the local emergency management teams on the ground reported receiving 251 requests for medical assistance that day, according to the internal study.

A “lack of coordination with campaign staff on these issues resulted in a higher than expected proportion of security personnel being diverted to assisting with medical responses,” the report said.

Responsibility

Friday’s report did not specify whether anyone from the Secret Service had been fired or otherwise reprimanded. He suggested that the performance of some staff members might warrant “remedial counseling” or “disciplinary action” and promised accountability for anyone found to have violated agency policy.

The agency’s Office of Integrity will now review the findings.

The Associated Press previously reported that at least five Secret Service agents had been assigned to modified duties. The director at the time, Kimberly Cheatle, resigned more than a week after filming, saying she took full responsibility for the mistake.