Joyce, Task Force on the Attempted Assassination of Donald J. Trump Unveil Final Report
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, Congressman Dave Joyce (OH-14) and the Task Force on the Attempted Assassination of Donald J. Trump released their bipartisan final report of findings and recommendations following the assassination attempts on President Trump on July 13th and September 15th. In July, Speaker Mike Johnson selected Congressman Joyce to serve on the Task Force.
“I am honored Speaker Johnson trusted me to serve on this Task Force to uncover the facts, identify operational failures, and restore public trust in response to two attempts on President Trump’s life. What we uncovered in our efforts was nothing short of catastrophic security failures,” said Congressman Joyce. “There was no one singular issue that contributed to this incident in July, but rather a string of missteps that led to the United States Secret Service unsuccessfully upholding their no-fail mission. The most glaring flaws were the ineffective advance planning in the days leading up to the incident and poor communication between the Secret Service and local and state law enforcement. My hope is that this report delivers Americans the answers they deserve and serves as an important step towards change. When it comes to protecting our democracy and national security, we have a duty to act. With the official publishing of the report, I can assure you that Congress will work with the United States Secret Service to implement necessary structural and operational reforms that will protect our nation and its citizens.”
Key Findings:
- The full record of evidence clearly shows failures in advance planning by the Secret Service and its law enforcement partners in the days before the July 13 campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania, and failures in execution on the day of the event itself. Conversely, while some questions remain unanswered, the events that transpired on September 15 in West Palm Beach, Florida, help demonstrated how properly executed protective measures can foil an attempted assassination.
- In July, Secret Service’s failure to secure a recognized high-risk area immediately adjacent to the venue – specifically, the American Glass Research (AGR) complex in Butler – gave rise to several vulnerabilities that eventually allowed the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, to evade law enforcement, climb on the roof of the AGR complex, and open fire.
- There are three key areas where Secret Service failed in Butler: preparation, coordination, and communication.
You can read the full report here.