Scathing report into the Secret Service revealed after two assassination attempts on Donald Trump
A congressional taskforce investigating the assassination attempts on Donald Trump has released a scathing report into the Secret Service.
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A congressional taskforce investigating the assassination attempts on Donald Trump has found the events were “preventable” as it called for changes to the Secret Service.
The 180-page report released Tuesday is one of the most detailed assessments that look into the assassination attempt against Mr Trump during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania and a second attempt in Florida on a golf course.
The report also recommended protecting fewer foreign leaders during the height of US election as well as considering moving the Secret Service out of the Homeland Security Department, after it was moved there in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks.
“The events of July 13, 2024, were tragic and preventable, and the litany of related security failures are unacceptable,” it stated.
“The Secret Service’s zero fail mission allows no margin for error, let alone for the many errors described in this report.”
In the July shooting, gunman Thomas Crooks opened fire from the roof of a nearby building, injuring Mr Trump in the ear. He was eventually killed by a counter sniper. The taskforce noted the gunman exploited gaps in the Secret Service’s protection strategy, due to a lack of assets and staff. They were also in charge of protecting First Lady Jill Biden on the same day at an event nearby.
“The Secret Service did not provide clear guidance to its state and local partners about which entity was responsible for the area,” the report stated.
“An expressed lack of manpower and assets was not sufficiently addressed, resulting in coverage gaps on the ground.”
The report also commented on how local law police had one idea of its responsibilities while the Secret Service had another, citing poor communications and planning.
“The various failures in planning, execution, and leadership on and before July 13, 2024, and the preexisting conditions that undermined the effectiveness of the human and material assets deployed that day, coalesced to create an environment in which the former President — and everyone at the campaign event — were exposed to grave danger,” the report stated.
In September, a gunman waited for hours for Trump to appear at his golf course in Florida, but a Secret Service agent stopped the attack. The taskforce praised this, saying it showed how an assassination attempt cane be foiled.
Overall, the taskforce recommended reviewing the Secert Service’s investigative responsibilities during the US election campaign so it “can prioritise the protection of US leaders and candidates running for office”.
“These non-protective, investigative functions require systemic review because of the USSS’s stunning failure to protect President-elect Trump on July 13,” the report said.
“The Secret Service’s protective mission is at the core of the agency’s purpose — anything that distracts or diverts resources from the agency’s zero fail mission must be reconsidered.”
Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi told Axios in a statement: “Today’s report reinforces our resolve to bring change to the Secret Service.
“We continue to take action to acquire new technologies, strengthen training, develop our personnel, and seek resources to fortify the Secret Service.”
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ABBOTT’S HANGS OUT WITH AMERICA’S NEW VP
America’s new right hand man JD Vance has met with former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott with the pair apparently striking up quite the rapport.
Mr Abbott posted a beaming snap of the two men to his X page, accompanied by a glowing endorsement of America’s new second-in-charge.
“An honour to catch up with incoming Vice-President @JDVance,” Mr Abbott wrote.
“At a fraught time, America is blessed to have leadership of such calibre.”
The friendly post penned by Mr Abbott was shared by Mr Vance on his page.
Mr Vance and Mr Abbott have a number of things in common including their Christian faith and their frequent references to family values.
JILL BIDEN APPEARS TO SNUB KAMALA HARRIS
US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill appeared to snub Vice President Kamala Harris as they entered an annual gala.
The Kennedy Center Honours, among the highest American arts awards, see Washington’s political elite rub shoulders with entertainment A-listers who descend on the US seat of power.
This year’s awards honoured filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola; legendary rock band the Grateful Dead; singer-songwriter Bonnie Raitt; jazz musician Arturo Sandoval; and the storied Apollo theatre in New York.
Footage shows the Bidens entering the event to a standing ovation and failing to greet or acknowledge Harris and her husband, second gentleman Dough Emhoff, despite being seated next to each other in the mezzanine of the opera house.
X users noticed the Bidens even avoided eye contact with Harris and Emhoff.
“Jill and Joe Biden are refusing to even look at Kamala Harris tonight,” End Wokeness wrote alongside a clip.
It was in contrast to when Dr Biden was seated near US President-elect Donald Trump during the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral in France on the weekend.
The friendly interaction, in which Mr Trump can be seen leaning towards Dr Biden to talk as she smiles at him, delighted onlookers and sparked a frenzy of speculation.
Dr Biden and Mr Trump shared a moment that was caught on camera while waiting for French First Lady Brigitte Macron to take the seat that separated them during the reopening ceremony.
He was also seen firmly shaking her hand and looking at her intently.
Mr Trump seized on the speculation and used the photo of him and Dr Biden to promote his own cologne line, just in time for Christmas.
“A fragrance your enemies can’t resist,” the caption reads for his cologne called Fight, Fight, Fight.
“Here are my new Trump Perfumes & Colognes! I call them Fight, Fight, Fight, because they represent us WINNING. Great Christmas gifts for the family,” Mr Trump posted to his Truth Social account.
While it’s not clear what was said between them to foster the appearance of friendly intimacy and humour, internet commenters had some theories that Dr Biden has warmed up to the incoming president.
Despite her harsh words for Mr Trump, 78, and his scathing attacks on her husband some users even went as far to theorise that she ultimately supported the president-elect during the 2024 race.
‘WE GET ALONG GREAT’
Also during the Paris trip Mr Trump spent time with Italy’s conservative Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and described her as a “real live wire” after meeting her and other world leaders.
Mr Trump told The New York Post that his meet-and-greet with the Italian leader at the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral was “great” and that she had a “lot of energy.”
“I was with her a lot,” Mr Trump said of Ms Meloni — noting that they dined together during a 60-member world leader reception.
“We got along great,” Mr Trump added.
Ms Meloni was elected Italy’s first female PM in 2022.
The 47-year-old has since become a conservative force in European politics with polls showing her among one of the popular national leaders in the region.
LARA TRUMP STEPS DOWN FROM RNC
Lara Trump, whose name has been floated to fill a possible Senate vacancy in Florida, is stepping down as co-chair of the Republican National Committee
Ms Trump, who is Mr Trump’s daughter-in-law, made the announcement in a post on X but did not reveal her next move.
“Serving as the GOP co-chair throughout the course of the most consequential election in American history has truly been the honour of my life,” Ms Trump wrote.
“The job I came to do is now complete and I intend to formally step down from the RNC at our next meeting.”
Ms Trump was elected to her role in March, with Mr Trump endorsing her.
The New York Times has speculated that Ms Trump may be seeking the Senate seat of Florida’s Marco Rubio’s should he be appointed Secretary of State.
TRUMP’S AGGRESSIVE DAY ONE AGENDA REVEALED
Donald Trump’s supporters who invaded the US Capitol after his 2020 election loss will be pardoned on his first day back in power, the President-elect confirmed as he declared members of Congress who investigated the riot “should go to jail” instead.
In his first interview since he defeated Vice President Kamala Harris, Mr Trump also refused to guarantee the US would stay in the NATO military alliance, vowed to end birthright citizenship, and promised to go “all out” with tariffs once he returned to the White House.
The 78-year-old – who will be sworn in on January 20 – said his inauguration speech would be a “message of unity” rather than the “American carnage” address he gave upon claiming the presidency in 2016.
“People like me now, you know?” he said, adding that he “wasn’t nearly as popular as this” when he first came to power.
But Mr Trump outlined the aggressive agenda he planned to immediately roll out from the Oval Office, including releasing those convicted of the January 6 attack on Capitol who he has previously called “hostages” and “political prisoners”.
Trump says he will act on day one to pardon the January 6 prisoners - NBC pic.twitter.com/AOBmtJtkGC
— Political Polls (@PpollingNumbers) December 8, 2024
The President-elect said they were “living in hell” in prison, having been brought to justice by what he called “a very nasty system”, and that he would be “acting very quickly” to free them.
Speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press, Mr Trump said those on the congressional committee that investigated January 6 should be locked up, saying his attorney general Pam Bondi and FBI director Kash Patel would “have to look at that” even though he would not direct them to.
He similarly said it would be up to Ms Bondi to decide whether to investigate special counsel Jack Smith, who he called “very corrupt” for bringing criminal charges against him.
During the campaign, Mr Trump vowed to appoint a special prosecutor to go after President Joe Biden, although he said that would now also be Ms Bondi’s decision and that he was “not looking to go back into the past”.
“No, I’m not doing that, unless I find something that I think is reasonable,” he said.
“I’m looking to make our country successful. Retribution will be through success.”
Asked if he would concede his 2020 defeat to unify the US, Mr Trump said: “No, why would I do that?”
The interview was conducted before the President-elect flew to Paris for the reopening of Notre Dame and a surprise meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as he worked to fulfil his vow to end the war within 24 hours of taking office.
Mr Trump, asked if Ukraine should expect less American aid, said: “Possibly, probably.”
He said he had not spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin since his election victory, before backtracking and saying he did not “want to say anything about that”.
The Republican reprised his criticisms of the NATO members for “taking advantage of us” on trade while not contributing enough to their defence, saying it was “a disgrace”.
Asked if the US would remain part of the critical alliance, Mr Trump said: “If they’re paying their bills and if I think they’re treating us fairly, the answer is absolutely, I’d stay with NATO.”
He added that he would “absolutely” consider abandoning NATO if that was not the case.
In the expansive interview, Mr Trump doubled down on his commitment to using tariffs as a “powerful tool”, although when pressed on warnings from economists that doing so would force up prices for consumers, he acknowledged that he could not “guarantee anything”.
He also provided further details about his immigration crackdown, saying that “you have to” deport everyone in the US illegally and that he would move on his first day back in charge to end the constitutional entitlement to automatic citizenship for anyone born in the US.
Mr Trump, who will become the oldest person to be sworn in as the president, also committed to releasing his medical records in full.
Originally published as Scathing report into the Secret Service revealed after two assassination attempts on Donald Trump
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