USSS – Public Introduction Since July 13, 2024, the United States Secret Service (Secret Service) has been responding to many questions surrounding the attempted assassination of Former President of the United States/Republican Presidential Nominee (FPOTUS/RPN) Donald Trump by Thomas Crooks. These include questions about the agency’s organizational culture, executive oversight, operational leadership, and details regarding employee actions that may have contributed to the mission failure. The Secret Service’s Office of Professional Ethics is conducting a Mission Assurance Investigation to address these questions. Below is a summary of the agency’s initial Mission Assurance Report, which identified potential causes for the July 13 mission failure. It is followed by a supplemental report that provides recommendations to agency leadership. Even prior to the conclusion of the Mission Assurance Investigation, the agency has strengthened its protection of FPOTUS/RPN Trump. It should also be noted that the Secret Service’s internal recommendations are separate from recommendations resulting from external investigations conducted by Congress, the White House/Department of Homeland Security Internal Investigations Board, and the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General. This brief focuses primarily on deficiencies in the Secret Service’s protection advances and interactions with state and local law enforcement prior to the July 13 attacks. The brief also covers the agency’s demanding operational tempo and how it contributed to the mission failure. Command and Control/State and Local Law Enforcement Partners The Secret Service is ultimately responsible for the security plan for protected sites. Therefore, ensuring that our state and local counterparts have a clear understanding of our operational requirements and capabilities is key to mission success. Advance personnel have an obligation to ensure that assistance from state and local law enforcement in any capacity meets the protection requirements and principles of the Secret Service methodology. However, interviews with Secret Service personnel and partner agencies revealed discrepancies in understanding and expectations about how various elements of the site security plan are accomplished. The Secret Service will not ask state and local law enforcement partners to assist in protection efforts by operating outside their scope of expertise. It would be unwise and would have unintended consequences. For example, when implementing a comprehensive security plan that includes state or local tactical assets, such as sniper teams, the placement of those units may be made in consultation with local tactical units and is not a unilateral decision by Secret Service personnel. Conversely, the location and placement of state or local tactical assets must not be a unilateral decision by Secret Service personnel.
