A review panel has urged major leadership changes at the Secret Service after security breakdowns during a July 2024 rally led to an assassination attempt on former President and Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump.

According to the New York Times, a report released Thursday commissioned by the Department of Homeland Security, said the panel found that poor communication and planning left Mr Trump vulnerable and emphasized the need for new leaders to address these problems and improve the agency’s performance. 

Local officials warned the Secret Service about insufficient security, but agents disagreed on who was in charge.

Crucially, the failure to secure a building from which the shooter fired exposed deeper problems in coordination and leadership within the agency. 

During the rally, a shooter fired multiple rounds at Mr. Trump from a nearby rooftop, resulting in one death and injuries to others, including Mr. Trump himself. 

Security decisions were marred by confusion, with no single entity overseeing key aspects of the event. 

The panel noted that while local law enforcement flagged potential security gaps, they were either misunderstood or ignored by the Secret Service. 

A Pittsburgh field office was unaware of vital intelligence, including credible threats, which were only shared with certain agents.

The panel listed instances in which the site agent who was charged with organising security at the Butler Farm Show grounds did not do a thorough job of ensuring key security measures were in place ahead of the rally, in part because she was inexperienced. She graduated from the agency’s academy in 2020 and joined Mr. Trump’s detail in 2023. 

The decision to give her this assignment, the panel said, appeared to be based on her availability “and without adequate consideration by supervisory personnel within the detail regarding the agent’s level of experience and associated aptitude and training, or lack thereof, for contributing to the planning of a major outdoor rally event like Butler.”

The leadership overhaul call came after an extensive Senate investigation, where it was revealed that field agents and Mr. Trump’s protective detail were not properly informed about an Iranian-linked threat prior to the rally. 

The Secret Service had stationed counter-sniper units, but agents later testified that other crucial security measures, such as securing the building and deploying counter-surveillance teams, were neglected. 

The panel found these failures alarming and recommended not only increased training and staffing but also top-down leadership reforms to address what it described as a “broken culture.”

Further complicating the situation, the report described a fragmented decision-making process, with agents from different divisions and offices failing to coordinate effectively. 

The confusion continued even in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, with agents unsure of who was responsible for critical decisions.

This disorganisation has now prompted lawmakers and the panel to push for more accountability within the Secret Service, arguing that the current structure and practices endanger public officials during an increasingly hostile political climate.

Acting Secret Service director Ronald Rowe has accepted some responsibility for the security lapses, yet the report also noted a long history of operational issues within the agency, suggesting that the problems were systemic rather than isolated incidents.