Washington (AFP) – US President Donald Trump says “mistakes were made” but he’s satisfied with the investigation into his near-assassination a year ago, as the Secret Service announced disciplinary actions Thursday against six staff members.
In excerpts of an interview on Fox News’ “My View with Lara Trump” show, airing Saturday, Trump, 79, said the elite close-protection service “had a bad day.” “There were mistakes made. And that shouldn’t have happened,” Trump said in the interview conducted by his daughter-in-law Lara Trump, who has her own show on the Trump-friendly news channel. The Republican — whose ear was nicked by a bullet while he addressed an election rally in Butler, Pennsylvania — noted that the would-be assassin had access to a “prime building” overlooking the rally.
One bystander was killed and two other people in addition to Trump were wounded before a counter-sniper killed the gunman — 20-year-old Thomas Crooks. The sniper “was able to get him from a long distance with one shot. If he didn’t do that, you would have had an even worse situation,” Trump said. “His name is David and he did a fantastic job.”
Speaking of the post-incident investigation and “the larger plot,” Trump said, “I’m satisfied with it.” “It was unforgettable,” he said, recalling the drama. “I didn’t know exactly what was going on. I got whacked. There’s no question about that. And fortunately, I got down quickly. People were screaming.”
The Secret Service said in a statement that the July 13, 2024, attack was “nothing short of a tragedy” and “an operational failure that the Secret Service will carry as a reminder of the critical importance of its zero-fail mission.” The agency cited communication, technical and human errors and said reforms were underway, including on coordination between different law enforcement bodies and establishment of a division dedicated to aerial surveillance.
Six unidentified staff have been disciplined, the Secret Service said. The punishments range from 10 to 42 days suspension without pay and all six were put into restricted or non-operational positions. Among measures beefing up security is an expansion of the fleet of armored golf carts to carry the president. Trump spends frequent weekends at his golf courses and in September last year was allegedly the target of a failed assassination plot while playing in Florida.
“The agency has taken many steps to ensure such an event can never be repeated in the future,” Secret Service Director Sean Curran said in a statement.
© 2024 AFP
