There were multiple reports on Friday that the U.S. Secret Service has placed at leave as many as five agents on administrative leave in the aftermath of the attempted assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump.
They include one agent on Trump's detail and three others in the Pittsburgh field office, according to CBS News. Fox News reported that there were four affected in the field office.
The agency has come under extreme criticism for its actions before and during the Butler, Pennsylvania rally where a gunman fired multiple shots, injuring Trump and killing a man who was attending the event. Two other people at the rally were shot but survived.
Thomas Matthew Crooks flew a drone over the site before the rally, climbed to the top of the nearby AGR building and fired eight times before a sharpshooter killed him.
Crooks was spotted before the shooting but the information was never communicated to the team at the stage where Trump was shot.
Kimberly Cheatle resigned as director of the agency after a blistering set of bipartisan attacks during a House Oversight hearing about the incident. She repeatedly refused to answer any questions about specifics surrounding the mishandled event and was told she should be fired by multiple committee members.
Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., reacted to the word of agents being put on leave.
"There must be accountability at the Secret Service for its historic failures that led to the attempted assassination of President Trump," he said on X. "Holding negligent employees accountable is the first step. I look forward to the Task Force's findings of its investigation. We must ensure the Secret Service does not fail again."
Statement from Chairman Comer:
— Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) August 23, 2024
“There must be accountability at the Secret Service for its historic failures that led to the attempted assassination of President Trump. Holding negligent employees accountable is the first step. I look forward to the Task Force’s findings of its… https://t.co/nKh86mJ8sO
