Secret Service still reforming after Trump assassination attempt in Butler

After the Secret Service announced the suspension of six staffers over failures that led to the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump last year in Butler, U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly commended the Secret Service’s new leaders for working to reform the agency.

“I applaud Director (Sean) Curran and Deputy Director (Matthew) Quinn’s efforts to implement transparency and accountability to the Secret Service,” Kelly, a Republican from Butler, said in a statement Thursday.

“It is critical that we remain dedicated to returning the Secret Service to the gold standard of protection as they modernize their zero-fail mission. I look forward to working with Director Curran to restore the Secret Service as the elite law enforcement agency in the country,” added Kelly, who chaired a bipartisan House task force that investigated the assassination attempt.

In a news release issued Thursday, the Secret Service said “breakdowns in communication, technological issues and human failure, among other contributing factors, led to” the assassination attempt during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show grounds last July 13.

Shots fired that day by Thomas Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park struck Trump’s right ear, killed Corey Comperatore of Buffalo Township and seriously injured David Dutch of Plum and James Copenhaver of Moon. A shot fired by a Secret Service sniper killed Crooks.

Curran was one of the Secret Service agents who rushed to Trump’s side to protect him after shots rang out that day. Trump named Curran as director of the Secret Service on Jan. 22, two days after beginning his second term in the White House. Trump said then that Curran had “protected my family over the past few years, and that is why I trust him to lead the brave men and women of the United States Secret Service.”

In Thursday’s news release, Curran said, “Since President Trump appointed me as director of the United States Secret Service, I have kept my experience on July 13 top of mind, and the agency has taken many steps to ensure such an event can never be repeated.”

Over the past year, Curran said, the agency has taken a hard, internal look at its operations and reviewed recommendations made by external oversight groups, including the House task force chaired by Kelly.

Of 46 recommendations from congressional oversight bodies, Curran said the Secret Service has implemented 21 of them, 16 are in progress and nine were referred to what he called non-Secret Service stakeholders.

Among reforms made, Curran said, the agency has changed protective operations policies to “ensure clear lines of accountability and improved information sharing with local law enforcement partners.” It also has created an aviation and airspace security division to enhance its security operations.

Quinn told CBS News the agency has “introduced a new fleet of military-grade drones and mobile command posts that allows agents to communicate over radio directly with local law enforcement — interoperability that didn’t exist last year.”

The Secret Service said it also is taking action against six employees in connection with the July 13 assassination attempt, suspending them without pay for between 10 and 42 days. All of the employees were placed on restricted duty or into nonoperational positions, the agency said.

The Secret Service did not identify those suspended.