Secret Service Agents Placed on Leave Over Trump Shooting, Causing Intra-Agency Controversy: Report
The article discusses the accountability issues within the U.S. Secret Service following a failed assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. The incident resulted in Trump’s injury and the tragic death of a firefighter. A report from Real Clear Politics highlights concerns over the Secret Service’s handling of the situation, revealing that several employees from the Pittsburgh Field Office have been placed on administrative leave, while others involved in Trump’s protection continue their duties. The unequal treatment among the agents is creating internal discord, raising questions about overall accountability. The article criticizes the lack of a clear explanation for the security failures and notes the negative perception of the Secret Service, exacerbated by President Joe Biden’s reluctance to address the issue. It suggests that whoever wins the upcoming election will need to comprehensively reform the Secret Service for its own credibility and effectiveness.
Accountability is important in just about every avenue of life.
When it comes to protecting a U.S. presidential candidate, accountability is even more tantamount — so why does the Secret Service seem so intent on shirking it?
A blistering report from Real Clear Politics probed that question a bit after sources told the polling outlet about the uneven treatment of those involved in the disastrous assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13.
The shooting — which only injured Trump but was fatal for a heroic firefighter — was a catastrophic failure on every conceivable level.
Exacerbating matters, there still isn’t a clear explanation of how a young, non-professional assassin came so close to irrevocably changing history.
In lieu of an explanation, however, the Secret Service does seem to be acting to punish various parties involves, per RCP.
According to the outlet, ” several members of the Pittsburgh Field Office” have been placed on administrative leave.
(“Administrative leave occurs when a federal employee temporarily leaves their position and work duties – either because of a misconduct investigation or medical or mental health issue,” RCP noted.)
“While these members of the Pittsburgh Field Office were placed on leave, a different set of agents, several assigned to Trump’s permanent protective detail, are still on the job providing Trump protection, the sources say,” Real Clear Politics reported. “They remain operational even though they too were deeply involved in devising the Butler rally’s security plan.”
Additionally, the “differing treatment of the two teams is spurring internal dissension and speculation that the Pittsburgh office could bear the brunt of the serious security failures that day, even though there’s plenty of blame to go around.”
That response is only natural. The blame game often tends to spur dissension.
Still, this paints the Secret Service in some rather unflattering strokes.
The failed assassination attempt of Trump was bad enough on its own, but to still not have an explanation or even accountability (apart from the token resignation of ex-Secret Service director Kim Cheatle) is boggling for everyday Americans.
It has to be reaching a tipping point for the more noble members of the Secret Service, who are surely sick of the negative headlines surrounding the organization.
Not helping is the fact that President Joe Biden seems both unwilling and/or unable to actually critique the Secret Service.
Given that Biden’s got an actual expiration date to his presidency, that’s unlikely to change.
That means that whomever emerges victorious after the November general election — be it Kamala Harris or Donald Trump — will have to do some serious work on revamping the Secret Service …
… For their own protection.
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