Intelligence Failures, Secret Service Blunders: How Trump Was Nearly Lost

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OPINION: The July 13, 2024, assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, has unveiled a startling series of intelligence failures and security missteps that should shock every American to their core. The Secret Service, an agency tasked with the life-and-death responsibility of protecting our nation’s leaders, failed on multiple levels, resulting in a scenario that nearly mirrored past tragic assassinations in American history. These failures reflect a deep-rooted systemic problem within our intelligence community—one that has continuously allowed threats to go unnoticed, unaddressed, and unchecked.

A Catastrophic Breakdown in Communication and Coordination

At the heart of the July 13th incident was a staggering breakdown in communication among those responsible for safeguarding the former president. Despite having “credible intelligence” of a threat, the Secret Service operated with fragmented and siloed communication, where critical information was not shared across all levels. Key personnel were never informed that local law enforcement was searching for a suspicious individual with a rangefinder mere minutes before shots rang out. Even more damning, while local officers had alerted the Secret Service’s security room that an individual was on the roof of the AGR building—a known line-of-sight risk—this information was never relayed to those who could have acted to protect Trump.

These failures are not just bureaucratic errors; they are life-threatening incompetencies. Imagine the shockwave that would have rippled through our nation had this assassination attempt succeeded. We are living in a republic, not a banana republic. Our security agencies cannot afford to operate like uncoordinated factions within a third-world government.

 

The Intelligence Community’s Persistent Failures

This is not the first time we’ve seen such gross incompetence from our intelligence and security agencies. The failures surrounding September 11, 2001, remain an infamous example of missed intelligence signals. Key reports about the looming al-Qaeda threat were either ignored or misunderstood, leading to the deadliest terrorist attack on American soil. Fast forward to 2016, and we saw another intelligence breakdown when the FBI mismanaged investigations into foreign interference during the presidential election. The agency seemed more concerned with political maneuvering than the actual threats posed to our electoral process.

In 2020, as Trump’s administration was repeatedly undermined by intelligence leaks and partisan agendas, the agencies responsible for protecting the integrity of our government were instead embroiled in internal power struggles. This was not just an attack on Trump; it was an attack on the very essence of the republic. The July 13th rally incident follows this troubling pattern, showing once again that our intelligence community’s failure to act decisively in the face of clear and present dangers remains a glaring vulnerability.

The Secret Service’s Inexcusable Failures

One of the most shocking revelations from the July 13th event was the lack of accountability within the Secret Service. No individual stepped up to take responsibility for the event’s planning and security lapses. The Secret Service’s Advance Agents, those in charge of securing the rally, refused to identify who was ultimately responsible for critical decisions. As a result, no one ensured the AGR building—a known line-of-sight threat—was sufficiently covered. The agency’s disarray allowed Thomas Matthew Crooks to set up, undetected, on the building’s roof and fire eight rounds, killing one person and injuring three others, including Trump.

The inability of the Secret Service to coordinate effectively with state and local law enforcement only deepened this failure. Critical resources were either denied or never requested, including additional Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UAS) and surveillance assets that could have mitigated the threats posed that day. Local law enforcement officials repeatedly raised concerns about manpower shortages and inadequate coverage of vulnerable areas, yet these warnings went unheeded.

These failures are emblematic of a broader crisis within the agency—a crisis of leadership, accountability, and basic competence. How can the Secret Service, once seen as the pinnacle of protective services, justify such failures? The answer is simple: it can’t. Instead of admitting fault, the agency’s leadership deflected blame, pointing fingers at lower-level agents and local partners. It’s a pattern that echoes the failings of past administrations, where bureaucratic inertia and a refusal to own mistakes have cost lives.

Supporting Trump: A Target of a Corrupt System

It’s hard to overlook that Trump has been the target of a broken system. Whether it’s politically motivated investigations or physical threats to his life, Trump has been forced to navigate a landscape where the very agencies tasked with his protection have consistently failed him. Let’s be clear—Trump is not just a political figure; he’s a symbol of what happens when the establishment feels threatened by a leader who dares to challenge the status quo.

What’s most disturbing is that this latest incident is not being viewed as a wake-up call by those in charge. Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe’s testimony before Congress was filled with empty reassurances and promises of reforms that sound all too familiar. We’ve heard these promises before—after 9/11, after the Russian interference scandals, after the security failures during Trump’s own presidency—and yet the system remains fundamentally flawed.

There is an undeniable irony in Trump’s predicament. Here is a former president who fought to “drain the swamp,” only to find that the swamp extends into the very agencies meant to protect him. The July 13th incident is yet another instance where the system’s failures nearly cost the life of a man who has become a lightning rod for both adoration and hatred. It’s not just Trump who deserves better; it’s every American who expects their leaders to be protected with the highest level of integrity and competence.

A Call for Accountability and Reform

The failures of July 13, 2024, should be a turning point, not just for the Secret Service, but for the entire intelligence community. There needs to be accountability at every level—starting with clear lines of responsibility for security and intelligence. The Secret Service must overhaul its planning processes, enforce real-time communication protocols, and ensure that all threats, no matter how “credible,” are treated with the seriousness they deserve.

Furthermore, the intelligence community must be depoliticized. Agencies like the FBI, DHS, and Secret Service cannot be allowed to operate as extensions of partisan interests. They need to return to their core missions: protecting the American people and their elected leaders without fear or favor. There must be congressional oversight to ensure these reforms are implemented, and failures are met with real consequences, not just empty promises.

America deserves better. Trump deserves better. The intelligence failures of the past must serve as lessons, not precedents. The time to act is now before another leader is lost to the incompetence of those sworn to protect them.