The Secret Service quietly placed at least five officers on leave in the weeks following the attempted assassination of Donald Trump on July 13, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter, in an apparent response to a lapse in sufficient security measures at the Butler rally where the shooting occurred, which resulted in Trump's ear being injured and one man's death.
In addition to the Pittsburgh field office head, at least three officers from that office and one member of the former president’s personal detail were also placed on leave, according to CBS News.
The decision, which was not confirmed to be a disciplinary action, comes as the shooting — once thought to be election-defining — moves to the back burner on the campaign trail.
At the Democratic National Convention, comments on the shooting were non-existent, and any slight poll bump Trump may have seen has long been erased by other massive shake-ups in the race, including President Joe Biden’s withdrawal.
The head of the Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle, resigned last month after testifying before the House Oversight Committee on the security gaps that allowed Thomas Matthew Crooks to shoot at the former president from an unsecured rooftop within 400 feet of his rally stage.
The shooting at the Butler, Pennsylvania rally was called a massive security breakdown, with the FBI later taking the reins of the investigation as the Secret Service’s own internal affairs division continues its inquiry.
Though Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi didn’t confirm the suspensions, telling CBS they wouldn’t comment on individuals, he confirmed that agents were being held to “the highest professional standards” and that disciplinary action could occur if a policy violation was found.
Trump, who returned on Wednesday for his first outdoor rally since the shooting, made no mention of the conspicuous newly added bulletproof glass standing between him and the crowd.
