There is a sacred promise in America. It’s an unspoken trust that the brave men and women sworn to protect our leaders will stand as an unbreachable wall against any threat. We trust them to be the best, the brightest, and the most vigilant defenders of our nation.
But what happens when that wall crumbles from the inside? The greatest dangers don’t always come from a foreign enemy, but from the slow decay of competence and care within the very institutions meant to keep us safe. A new report shows that this sacred promise was nearly shattered by stunning carelessness.
A devastating report from Senator Rand Paul’s committee now reveals the full story of the Secret Service’s failures during the assassination attempt on President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. The findings are not just shocking; they are an indictment of an agency that failed its most basic mission. The gunman was able to climb a rooftop and remain undetected for nearly 45 minutes before he opened fire.
A Cascade of Failures
The report details a complete breakdown at every level. Secret Service headquarters repeatedly denied requests for more agents and security assets for President Trump’s campaign rallies. On the day of the attack, agents failed to communicate threats to the team protecting the president. Known security risks at the site were simply ignored.
Senator Rand Paul did not mince words about the scandal.
From ‘The Post Millennial’:
Here are the key findings of the report:
- US Secret Service (USSS) denied multiple requests for additional staff, assets, and resources to protect President Trump during the campaign.
- USSS did not fire a single person involved in the planning and execution of the Butler rally. USSS formally disciplined only six personnel, some of whom received their disciplinary decision as recently as July 2025. In two instances, the final disciplinary decision was a reduced punishment from what was originally recommended.
- Former Director Kimberly Cheatle falsely testified to Congress that no USSS asset requests were denied for the Butler rally.
- Despite USSS leadership receiving an intelligence briefing regarding the protectee and authorizing counter snipers at all of President Trump’s outdoor rallies a day prior, counter snipers were not present at the July 9, Doral campaign rally.
“What happened in Butler, Pennsylvania, was not just a tragedy—it was a scandal. The United States Secret Service failed to act on credible intelligence, failed to coordinate with local law enforcement, and failed to prevent an attack that nearly took the life of a then-former president.”
A Slap on the Wrist
For such a catastrophic failure, one would expect severe consequences. Yet, the report confirms that not a single person has been fired. Instead, only six people faced any discipline at all, with punishments as light as a 10-day suspension. For nearly letting a president be killed, they got a short, paid vacation.
Worse, a Secret Service deputy director actually told the press the agency would not “fire our way out of this” crisis. This is the sound of the D.C. Swamp protecting its own. It is an admission that in government, there is no real penalty for failure, no matter how disastrous.
The trust we place in our institutions must be earned. This report proves that the Secret Service betrayed that trust through a stunning level of incompetence. This wasn’t one mistake; it was a systemic rot that almost changed American history forever. Protecting our president is not a suggestion; it’s a sacred duty that demands excellence and absolute accountability.
Key Takeaways
- The Secret Service’s stunning incompetence almost cost President Trump his life.
- Bureaucrats repeatedly denied requests for essential security assets before the attack.
- Not one person was fired, proving a complete lack of accountability in Washington.
- This scandal shows why strong oversight of government agencies is essential for our safety.
Sources: The Post Millennial, the Guardian
