A year after Butler: How a near assassination led to an uneven search for accountability in the Secret Service

One year after the near assassination of Donald Trump, a deep frustration has set in at the Secret Service over the agency’s response to the security failures of that day.

One year after the near assassination of Donald Trump, a deep frustration has set in at the Secret Service over the agency’s response to the security failures of that day. In interviews with CNN, a dozen current and former federal law enforcement officials and lawmakers describe an overall lack of accountability, especially for top Secret Service officials and those agents in Trump’s detail during the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, last July. That includes Sean Curran, the top-ranking agent on Trump’s detail that day, who has since been promoted to director of the Secret Service. Several Congressional investigations and federal reports, including the Secret Service’s own analysis, found multiple failures, including communication breakdowns with local police who spotted the shooter and confronted him on a nearby roof before he took aim at Trump. Ten days after the rally, Kimberly Cheatle, the then-director of the Secret Service, resigned amid scrutiny over the security lapses. Since then, only six Secret Service personnel have been disciplined — issued short suspensions without pay — a decision that has felt inconsistent to many at the agency. “None of those operational people have been held accountable, some were even promoted,” said one former senior agency official, who like others spoke on condition of anonymity to preserve relationships with former Secret Service colleagues.