The Secret Service was understaffed by more than 20% when a gunman tried to kill then-candidate Donald Trump at a 2024 campaign rally in Pennsylvania, and agents missed multiple opportunities to disrupt the attack, according to a pair of inspector general reports released Thursday.
The reports also found that the service lacked an effective system for carrying out protective operations, often relying on informal planning at public events — gaps that contributed to the service’s failure to protect Trump and bystanders during the July 13, 2024, assassination attempt.
The findings mirror many of the conclusions reached by congressional panels, federal investigators and outside experts in separate reviews of the shooting. And while the reports offer few new revelations about the Secret Service’s shortcomings in the lead-up to the attack, they reinforce longstanding concerns that the agency lacked the staffing and resources needed to fulfill its zero-fail mission.