By Jessica Riga, ABC and AFP
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is rushed offstage during a rally on 13 July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images/AFP
US President Donald Trump says "mistakes were made" but he's satisfied with the investigation into his near-assassination a year ago, as the Secret Service announced disciplinary actions against six staff members.
In excerpts of an interview on Fox News' "My View with Lara Trump" show, airing Saturday, Trump, 79, said the elite close-protection service "had a bad day".
"There were mistakes made. And that shouldn't have happened," Trump said in the interview conducted by his daughter-in-law Lara Trump, who has her own show on the Trump-friendly news channel.
The Republican - whose ear was nicked by a bullet while he addressed an election rally in Butler, Pennsylvania - noted that the would-be assassin had access to a "prime building" overlooking the rally.
One bystander was killed and two other people - in addition to Trump - were wounded before a counter-sniper killed the gunman - 20-year-old Thomas Crooks.
The sniper "was able to get him from a long distance with one shot. If he didn't do that, you would have had an even worse situation," Trump said.
"His name is David and he did a fantastic job."
Speaking of the post-incident investigation and "the larger plot," Trump said "I'm satisfied with it".
"It was unforgettable," he said, recalling the drama.
"I didn't know exactly what was going on. I got whacked. There's no question about that. And fortunately, I got down quickly. People were screaming."
A close up of presidential candidate former President Donald Trump's injured ear. Photo: AFP/ Getty - Anna Moneymaker
The Secret Service said in a statement that the July 13, 2024, attack was "nothing short of a tragedy" and "an operational failure that the Secret Service will carry as a reminder of the critical importance of its zero-fail mission."
The agency cited communication, technical and human errors, and said reforms were underway including on coordination between different law enforcement bodies and establishment of a division dedicated to aerial surveillance.
Six unidentified staff have been disciplined, the Secret Service said. The punishments range from 10 to 42 days suspension without pay and all six were put into restricted or non-operational positions.
Among measures beefing up security, is an expansion of the fleet of armored golf carts to carry the president.
Trump spends frequent weekends at his golf courses and in September last year was allegedly the target of a failed assassination plot while playing in Florida.
"The agency has taken many steps to ensure such an event can never be repeated in the future," Secret Service Director Sean Curran said in a statement.
In an interview with CBS News, Secret Service deputy director Matt Quinn - who was appointed to the job in May - called the July 13, 2024 assassination attempt an "operational failure", but said no agent would be facing termination.
"Secret Service is totally accountable for Butler," Quinn told CBS News.
"Butler was an operational failure and we are focused today on ensuring that it never happens again."
The Secret Service is part of the US Department of Homeland Security and protects US political leaders, their families and visiting dignitaries.
Quinn told CBS News the agency would not be terminating employees.
"We aren't going to fire our way out of this," Quinn said.
"We're going to focus on the root cause and fix the deficiencies that put us in that situation."
Quinn said the Secret Service had introduced a new fleet of military-grade drones and new mobile command posts, which would allow agents to communicate over radio with local law enforcement.
"We are laser-focused on fixing the root cause of the problem," Quinn said.
Intense scrutiny
Then US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle. Photo: Lenin Nolly/NurPhoto via AFP
The Secret Service faced significant criticism following the shooting, with then-director Kimberly Cheatle resigning within the fortnight.
Cheatle was subpoenaed to appear at a US congressional oversight hearing where several committee members questioned her about security decisions surrounding the Pennsylvania rally and called on her to step down.
She told the hearing that the incident was the agency's "most significant operational failure" in decades, adding that she took "full responsibility".
An independent review found the Secret Service displayed a lack of critical thinking before and after the assassination attempt on Trump.
The 51-page report outlined multiple communications breakdowns and accused the organisation of becoming "bureaucratic, complacent and static" even as risks and technology evolved.
- ABC/AFP
