Overview
- The Butler attack occurred on July 13, 2024, when Thomas Crooks fired on a rally, grazing President Trump’s ear and killing volunteer fire chief Corey Comperatore as he shielded his family.
- The Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General found the Secret Service missed 102 radio transmissions about the suspect and did not set up a joint communications room, which agents say prevented timely warnings to Trump’s protective detail.
- Newly obtained FBI records show Crooks exchanged two emails with a Butler County sheriff’s deputy before the assault, a development that has renewed scrutiny of pre-attack information sharing.
- On the second anniversary of the shooting President Trump criticized the agency’s preparations, saying they ‘blew it,’ while he praised the agents who shielded him and the sniper who killed Crooks.
- Coverage varies by outlet with right-leaning outlets emphasizing agency failures and later thwarted plots and left-leaning outlets highlighting Trump’s comments, and the report is likely to drive congressional oversight, legal claims by rally victims, and calls for clearer interagency communication reforms.