Until the first shots were fired, the security agent managing communication at a Pennsylvania rally never knew Donald Trump's would-be assassin had taken to the rooftops.
The Secret Service agent also testified he was unaware of a second command post set up by state police, according to the final Senate committee report on the attack.
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee report also found there was "insufficient accountability" by the Secret Service following the incident in Butler, Pennsylvania last July.
"Not a single person has been fired," the report said.
"[The Secret Service] has conducted internal reviews, but only six individuals have faced disciplinary action.
"Those who were disciplined received penalties far too weak to match the severity of the failures.
"There were multiple, unacceptable failures in the planning and execution of the July 13 Butler rally.
"A 20-year-old gunman was able to evade detection by the country's top protective agency for nearly 45 minutes."
Then-presidential candidate Mr Trump was shot in the ear in the attack, while one audience member was killed and two more were critically injured.
The shooter, 20-year-old nursing aide Thomas Matthew Crooks, was killed by a Secret Service sniper moments after opening fire.
'A complete breakdown of security at every level'
There was a "disturbing pattern of denials, mismanagement, and missed warning signs" in the lead up to the shooting, according to the committee's report.
Republican Senator Rand Paul, the committee's chairman, said the attempted assassination was "not just a tragedy".
"It was a scandal," he said.
"The United States Secret Service failed to act on credible intelligence, failed to coordinate with local law enforcement, and failed to prevent an attack that nearly took the life of a then-former president.
"This was not a single lapse in judgement.
"It was a complete breakdown of security at every level — fuelled by bureaucratic indifference, a lack of clear protocols, and a shocking refusal to act on clear threats."
[rand paul tweet]The report noted agents had chosen not to retrieve radios from local and state law enforcement, which limited coordination between agencies.
Vulnerabilities on-site were identified before the rally but never addressed, an inexperienced operator was tasked with manning aerial security, and personnel "vital to mission success" were not requested.
The Secret Service was accused of denying requests for extra staff and resources over the course of Donald Trump's campaign.
Former Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle has since denied this, saying in a statement she "did direct additional assets" to the Butler rally.
The report said failures on the ground in Pennsylvania were compounded by "numerous" failures at Secret Service headquarters.
"[Prior] to July 13, 2024, there was no formal process to request or deny assets," the report said.
"[Secret Service agents] told the Committee that when their requests went unanswered, they had no way of knowing whether they would receive the support needed to protect the former president.
"Some did not even bother submitting requests at all, convinced they would be denied by headquarters."
Over the course of their investigation, the committee conducted 17 interviews with Secret Service personnel and reviewed more than 75,000 pages of documents.
'Lack of urgency' in search for suspicious person
The report also focused on the actions of the security room agent, the person assigned to manage all communications across the site.
The command post was dealing with multiple medical calls, lost property, potential fires, calls for police dogs and "two or three lost children" on the day.
He told the committee he was unaware of a second, separate command post set up by local and state police.
"It only became apparent to me throughout the day in my conversations with the Pennsylvania State Police representative," he testified.
"It was never really talked about.
"I don't explicitly remember a point in time where I was like, 'Oh, there's definitely another command post'.
"I just knew he was talking to other law enforcement somewhere else, in addition to other [state police] troopers on his radio."
He said he did not recall receiving a report about a suspicious person, but said it would not have been "unusual" for an event of that size.
According to the report, the agent first learned of the search for a "suspicious individual" 25 minutes before the shooting began.
His state police counterpart said he told the security room agent about the person, later identified as Crooks, in person.
The state police officer said he did not see whether the security room agent passed the information on over the radio.
"After I said [the suspicious individual was] outside the perimeter, I got the distinct impression that there's, like, a lack of urgency," he testified.
"Like, it wasn't like he rushed around or did anything."
The message about the suspicious person did not go out to other Secret Service agents or counter snipers.
It also was not relayed to Donald Trump's security detail, the team responsible for deciding whether or not the president would take to the stage.
While the state police officer said he told the security room agent about Crooks being spotted on the rooftop at 6.09pm, the security room agent denied this.
"My recollection is I hear the radio traffic about the local police working a problem," he testified.
"I was just waiting to hear an update … if they were able to find the person.
"I did not hear the shots in the security room. What I heard was, 'shots fired, shots fired'."
The Security Room Agent did not face any disciplinary action.
Sniper team's view of shooter 'obstructed'
The Secret Service sniper responsible for "neutralising" Crooks minutes after he opened fire told the committee he was unaware of the other sniper team having an obstructed view.
The Hercules 2 counter sniper team was given primary responsibility for the roof of the AGR building — the same building Crooks would use as a vantage point.
Their view was "obstructed by foliage".
Hercules 1, the team who ultimately took out Crooks, had a clear view but was given responsibility for the area facing away from the AGR building, according to the report.
"Both teams are responsible for an area of 360 degrees … you basically split up responsibility in the middle," the Hercules 1 counter sniper testified.
By 5.53pm, he had already received an email with Crooks' photo, advising agents of the search for him.
Shortly after that came reports of someone being on the rooftop.
"I don't know if it was from the crowd that was close by," he said.
"I don't know if it came over my radio earpiece. But all I kept hearing was, 'someone's on the roof'.
"I did notice local police moving around the building … it looked like they were looking for something or someone."
He was asked why seeing local officers with their weapons drawn approaching the AGR building was "not worth relaying over the radio" to other Secret Service agents.
"I'm not the only one that's observing the area," he said.
"Someone else could've also put out the radio call. I'm not going to go ahead and, you know, just put it on, just myself. There were other individuals.
"I knew what I was doing … so that's what I kept on doing.
"The radio call went out about a suspicious individual … and then it's up to whoever else is receiving that to take action."
He added shots were fired "within seconds" of realising what was happening.
"Being able to speak about this … makes it look like I had all the time in the world [and] my teammates had all the time in the world to take action," he said.
"I did not. I don't know how much time I had. I wasn't staring at my watch. I don't know how many seconds went by.
"[When] I saw him he was on the peak of the roof, in his firing position, and as soon as he was identified the shots went out.
"It sounds like an eternity, but basically as soon as I saw him … the shots went out."
The Counter Sniper Team Leader was placed on restrictive duty on December 20, 2024.
On July 3 he received a 35-day suspension.
The Hercules 1 counter sniper has not received any disciplinary action.
'Misleading' testimony by former Secret Service heads
Secret Service deputy director Matt Quinn revealed earlier this month six Secret Service personnel had ultimately been suspended over the attempted assassination.
Mr Quinn said in a CBS News interview no agent would face termination over what he called an "operational failure".
The site agent assigned to Donald Trump's security detail received the shortest punishment, a one-day suspension for failing to follow Secret Service policy.
Another agent also assigned to Donald Trump's detail on the day received the longest suspension of 42 days and was reassigned from his position.
[secret service]The report accused the Secret Service of withholding details of the disciplinary action taken against the six agents.
The committee said it only received the information on July 1, 2025, after issuing a subpoena.
"The American people deserve better," the report said.
Their report also accused multiple former Secret Service leaders of giving false or misleading information to their committee.
Mr Cheatle was accused of falsely testifying that the agency had not denied any requests for extra assets.
She stepped down from her position in the weeks following the assassination attempt.
She has denied the accusations, calling them "patently false".
Former Acting Director Ronald Rowe, who took over from Ms Cheatle, was accused of giving "misleading" and contradictory testimony.
"When asked if the [Secret Service] Counter Sniper Advance Lead gave explicit instructions to local counter snipers regarding a plan to cover the roof of the AGR building, [Mr Rowe] responded that it was his understanding the locals 'had a plan'," the report said.
The advance lead later said he did not give any specific instructions about the AGR roof.
Mr Rowe announced his retirement in February.
Additional information to the report is set to be released at a later date.
