Pittsburgh Secret Service field office head, others placed on leave after Trump assassination attempt
The head of the Secret Service’s Pittsburgh field office and at least four other agents have been sidelined amid the ongoing probe into last month’s assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, according to reports.
The agents were placed on leave as the agency’s internal affairs division continues to investigate how a 20-year-old sniper was able to open fire on Trump at his July 13 campaign rally in Butler, Pa., CBS News reported Friday, citing a source familiar with the matter.
They included one member of Trump’s personal protective team and four Secret Service members from the Pittsburgh Field Office, including the special agent in charge, Fox News said. The agents remain employed but are barred from working in the field and doing investigative work.
Tristan Leavitt, president of Empower Oversight Whistleblowers & Research, posted on X that the removal should’ve been done “at the very least have done on July 13 — if not placing them on investigative leave that night.”
“If paid leave, the Secret Service has to abide by the 2016 law we passed that requires them to fish or cut bait: finish your investigation and propose a personnel action, or put them back to work on admin duties. Don’t waste taxpayer dollars just giving them a paid vacation,” said Leavitt, whose nonprofit has repped high-profile whistleblowers in the IRS and FBI.
The move has sparked internal speculation that the Pittsburgh field office will likely bear the brunt of the blame for the security failures, the sources said.
Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi declined to comment on the agents or any disciplinary action because it was a personnel matter.
He did, however, say the agency’s review was “progressing.”
“The US Secret Service is committed to investigating the decisions and actions of personnel related to the event in Butler, Pennsylvania and the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump,” Guglielmi said in a statement to The Post.
“The US Secret Service’s mission assurance review is progressing, and we are examining the processes, procedures and factors that led to this operational failure.”
“The US Secret Service holds our personnel to the highest professional standards, and any identified and substantiated violations of policy will be investigated by the Office of Professional Responsibility for potential disciplinary action,” he added.
It comes as the agency continues to face mounting pressure to hold people accountable over the calamitous failures that led to Trump being wounded by a would-be assassin’s bullet during the campaign rally.
Secret Service chief Kimberly Cheatle, a 28-year veteran of the agency, resigned from her post less than two weeks after the rally.
Her replacement, Acting Director Ronald Rowe, later told lawmakers he was “ashamed” of the ordeal and vowed to probe the failures.
Separately, Congress is also investigating the assassination attempt and the Secret Service’s handling of the rally.
One whistleblower said officials at Secret Service headquarters told agents in charge of the rally not to request any extra security in formal requests, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said Friday.
Members of the congressional Trump Assassination Attempt Task Force are slated to visit Butler next week to meet with local officials.
“Today’s decision to place multiple agents on leave is the agency’s first step toward accountability, but it comes 41 days after the attempt on President Trump’s life — and it’s nowhere near enough,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who convened the task force, said in a statement.
“Since the Secret Service refuses to recognize reality and will not be transparent, the House’s Bipartisan Task Force will continue to aggressively and thoroughly investigate the shocking security failures, get answers, and bring accountability,” Johnson added. “The liberal media is working to erase history, and big tech is trying to censor and shadow ban those who seek information online, but the American people will NOT forget about this tragic day — and neither will the House.”
