A year after a gunman opened fire at a campaign rally for President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, Sen. Rand Paul accused the Secret Service of a "cultural cover-up" and demanded congressional oversight for what he described as critical security failures that allowed the attempted assassination, Politico reported.
The Kentucky Republican on Sunday denounced the U.S. Secret Service for its handling of security at the rally where a shooter injured Trump, and killed one attendee while injuring others. Paul said the agency repeatedly ignored requests for additional protection before the attack, which he claims shows a systemic failure.
Speaking on CBS's "Face the Nation," Paul said, "Somebody was begging" for security reinforcements in both writing and phone calls, but the Secret Service allegedly dismissed the requests. He added, "They did not want to assess blame or look internally, and they wanted to discount any of their actions that may have led to this. There was no way the director of the Secret Service did not know the request had been made."
The July 2024 shooting at the rally left Trump with a minor injury to his ear and resulted in the death of Fire Chief Corey Comperatore. Two others were wounded before a Secret Service sniper fatally shot the gunman, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks.
At the time, former President Joe Biden called for investigations into the agency. An initial probe found "deep flaws" in Secret Service operations, and congressional Republicans later accused then-director Kimberly Cheatle of lying under oath when she denied that security requests had been submitted. Paul echoed those allegations on Sunday.
A new report by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs concluded the agency had "denied or left unfulfilled at least 10 requests" for additional resources to protect Trump.
Cheatle, who resigned in the aftermath and was replaced by Trump's former lead security officer Sean Curran, issued a statement Sunday defending her record. "I agree mistakes were made and reform is needed," she said. But she disputed allegations that she had misled Congress.
"Any assertion or implication that I provided misleading testimony is patently false and does a disservice to those men and women on the front lines who have been unfairly disciplined for a team, rather than individual, failure," she said.
Paul emphasized that events of this scale carry "extraordinary risk," regardless of the candidate or party involved. He said the Butler rally required substantial planning and accountability that were lacking.
"When individuals were subpoenaed, no one would actually admit to being in charge of security for Butler," Paul said. "They were not going to discipline anybody until I subpoenaed and asked what they had done, but in the end, nobody was fired. I think even the investigation by the Secret Service was inadequate. That's why we need congressional oversight."
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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