President Donald Trump, blood visible on his right ear, raised his fist defiantly after surviving an assassination attempt during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024.
A new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reveals that under the Biden administration, the Secret Service failed to inform the security team responsible for protecting Trump at the Butler rally, despite knowing of a threat to Trump’s life ten days before the event.
On July 13, 2024, a bullet grazed Trump’s ear during the rally. Supporter Corey Comperatore was killed by a shot to the head, and two other attendees were wounded—one critically.
Shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks fired from the roof of a nearby building. Although Secret Service counter-snipers had a clear line of sight from a higher elevation, they did not act. Crooks reportedly accessed the building with a ladder purchased the same day at Home Depot.
Eyewitnesses told the BBC that the shooter had been seen crawling with a rifle on the rooftop before the attack. One police officer reportedly encountered Crooks on the roof but let him go after he pointed the weapon—before firing at Trump.
Investigations have raised serious concerns. Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle claimed the building was left unguarded because its “sloped roof at its highest point” made it unsafe for agents.
Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, shared a preview of the GAO report on X:
NEW GAO REPORT IM RELEASING says Secret Service knew of a threat 2Pres Trump's life 10 DAYS b4 Butler but didnt share info w staff on the ground so they were unprepared Rpt identifies Sct Service problems+ recommends fixes This info NVR wld hv been made public w/o CONG OVERSIGHT pic.twitter.com/hf9t87453a
— Chuck Grassley (@ChuckGrassley) July 12, 2025
The report states:
“Prior to the July 13 rally, senior-level Secret Service officials became aware of a threat to then-former President Trump. This information was not specific to the July 13 rally or gunman. Nonetheless, due to the Secret Service’s siloed practice for sharing classified threat information, Secret Service and local law enforcement personnel central to developing site security plans for the rally were unaware of the threat… Making changes to Secret Service policies to require it to proactively share threat information internally could help ensure its agents and partners will have information needed to provide effective protection.”
The GAO also found that the Secret Service’s current process does not allow for all known threats to be considered in resource allocation, calling the system ad hoc and lacking a formal process for decision-making.
According to additional findings:
- Ten days before the rally, high-ranking Secret Service officials were briefed on a classified threat to Trump. They failed to relay the information to their teams, leaving law enforcement and Trump’s protective detail unaware. Local police said they would have requested additional assets had they known.
- The agent in charge of identifying site vulnerabilities was new to her role, and the Butler rally was her first time securing a large outdoor event.
- At the time, there was no formal policy for communicating protectee staff requests regarding changes to security. A Trump campaign staffer asked the advance team—not aware of the active threat—to avoid placing large equipment that could block views near a building. That decision may have given Crooks a clearer line of sight to the stage.
- The Trump Protective Division’s request for upgraded counter-drone surveillance equipment was denied because resources were already assigned to the Republican and Democratic National Conventions. Only a last-minute decision by senior officials to deploy counter-sniper assets prevented further tragedy. The GAO noted that without this move, Trump “would likely not have received the counter sniper assets that ultimately took out [Crooks].”
Helen Comperatore, the widow of Corey Comperatore, spoke out as the one-year anniversary of the tragedy nears. “Tell me everything that happened that day,” she demanded from the Secret Service. “I want to know why they failed. I want to know what happened.”
