Just shy of the one-year anniversary of the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump, the U.S. Secret Service has suspended six of its agents — a stunning fallout that underscores a dangerous failure of leadership and accountability at one of the most vital agencies protecting our nation’s top leaders.
The suspensions, confirmed to ABC News by a Secret Service official, come after a damning independent review from the Department of Homeland Security. The report laid bare a series of grave lapses that allowed a gunman to get within striking distance of President Trump, who was wounded when a bullet grazed his ear during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Tragically, firefighter and father Corey Comperatore was killed in the attack, and several others were injured.
The independent panel — appointed by DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas — concluded that the Secret Service has grown “bureaucratic, complacent, and static,” unable to meet the ever-evolving threats facing public officials. Their words were blunt: “The Secret Service does not perform at the elite levels needed to discharge its critical mission.”
The report’s bottom line? Without a complete overhaul of standards, training, and culture, “another Butler can and will happen again.”
The six agents suspended range from frontline officers to supervisors. While accountability is welcome, many are asking: why did it take a near-tragedy to get action?
Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle stepped down just 10 days after the shooting. Her resignation followed intense bipartisan criticism and a public outcry for transparency and reform.
But some critics argue the rot runs deeper — pointing to a broader decline in institutional performance across key government agencies under current leadership. From the border crisis to rising domestic threats, federal security services appear increasingly reactive rather than proactive, weighed down by red tape and outdated protocols.
This wasn’t just a security lapse — it was a national failure that nearly cost a former president his life and left an American hero dead. When a president of the United States can be targeted in broad daylight with a rifle, the question is no longer if we need reform — it’s how fast we can implement it.
Conservatives have long warned that bloated bureaucracy and unaccountable leadership weaken our most vital institutions. This near-tragedy proves once again that America needs leaner, more focused, and mission-driven agencies — built for the challenges of the real world, not the comforts of federal office culture.
The American people deserve a Secret Service that embodies discipline, courage, and excellence — not one caught flat-footed when lives are on the line.
