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5 August 2024

Tech Failings Plagued Secret Service at Trump Rally

C. Ryan Barber

TAP FOR SOUNDActing Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe said that technical issues contributed to a massive communications failure at the July 13 rally where a gunman tried to kill Donald Trump. Photo: Kevin Mohatt/Reuters

WASHINGTON—Spotty cellular service, malfunctioning technology and unused equipment contributed to a major communications breakdown during the rally where a gunman tried to kill Donald Trump, just when law enforcement needed to share information the most, the top Secret Service official said Friday.

Among other problems, there were no Secret Service agents inside a command post set up by local police ahead of the July 13 rally, meaning critical information couldn’t easily get to the agency protecting the former president.

“It is plainly obvious to me that we didn’t have access to certain information,” acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe said.

Urged by lawmakers to share more information publicly, Rowe offered new glimpses into the security failure at the rally in western Pennsylvania, where a 20-year-old gunman was able to access a rooftop with a clear line of sight to Trump and open fire with an AR-15 rifle. A spectator was killed, two others were injured and Trump suffered a bullet wound to the ear.

Inside the Secret Service Failures That Led to Trump Shooting

Inside the Secret Service Failures That Led to Trump ShootingPlay video: Inside the Secret Service Failures That Led to Trump Shooting
The attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump is the biggest Secret Service crisis in decades. Two former agents explain what went wrong. Photo: JJ Lin

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