JUST IN: 5 Secret Service Agents Suspended Over Trump Rally Failures

The hammer has come down on five U.S. Secret Service agents within the 60-member detail around former President Donald Trump, according to sources who say that five have been suspended more than a month after an assassination attempt that nearly killed former President Donald Trump.

RealClearPolitics has been reporting on developments within the Secret Service as turmoil rocks its upper echelons. Presidential details are among the most prestigious — and stressful — positions that agents can attain during their careers, but since the July 13th shooting the service has been beset by attention drawn to further security failures and agent misconduct. Earlier this month a bipartisan committee of U.S. House members undertook a comprehensive review of personnel and procedures, and Friday’s development appears to come in response to pressure on Acting Director Robert Rowe to deliver consequences.

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The separate sources confirmed that multiple agents in the Secret Service’s Pittsburgh Field Office have been placed on leave, the outlet reported, underscoring the urgency felt by Rowe to assure lawmakers he is in control since the resignation of former director Kimberly Cheatle. Among federal employees, administrative leave is designated when an employee temporarily leaves their position and work duties – either because of a misconduct investigation or medical or mental health issues. Pay and benefits are usually continued, though that is at the discretion of senior officials. Another set of agents has taken over their responsibilities protecting President Trump even though they too were involved in organizing security for the deadly rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

The divergent outcomes for each set of agents have spurred consternation within the ranks as Secret Service men and women remain rankled about who is most to blame. The FBI, which is conducting its own investigation, previously reported that the Secret Service failed to maintain clear lines of communication with local authorities they tasked to secure the perimeter of the Trump rally where a gunman was able to scale a warehouse roof and fire a high-powered rifle. During a July 30th congressional hearing, Rowe said he could not understand why Cheatle or agents organizing the event left the rooftop unguarded.

Sources told the outlet that lower-level agents are right to be angry that Rowe has so far been spared the brunt of culpability for the shooting, even though other reports indicated that he was directly involved in denying previous requests from Trump’s team to enhance his protection detail. At the time, counterintelligence officials had reported that Iran was plotting its own assassination attempt against the former president which spurred the requests. Internal emails showed one agent predicting that, without serious reforms at the Secret Service, another attack on Trump’s life before the November elections is “imminent.”

Several other security lapses have occurred since the shooting. At last month’s national Bitcoin conference in Nashville, two credentialed attendees made their way around metal detectors, forcing the Secret Service to keep President Trump backstage while the individuals were apprehended and escorted from the premises. One female agent at Mar-a-Lago was reprimanded for posting compromising pictures to her social media accounts while on duty. Another female agent was found breastfeeding with a child and other family members after leaving her post unannounced.

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