Secret Service urged to reduce number of protectees

A House Task Force investigating the assassination attempts against Donald Trump earlier this year has called on the Secret Service to reduce the number of people it protects and "review" its investigative role after "failures" almost led to tragedy.

The report identified a "litany" of failures before and during the 13 July shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, and a separate 15 September attempt in West Palm Beach, Florida.

One person was killed and two were seriously injured during the Butler shooting. Trump was shot in the ear.

A separate Senate report released in September found that security failures and poor communication "directly contributed" to the assassination attempt.

In the new 180-page report, the House Task Force said that "various failures in planning, execution and leadership" contributed to the July shooting, which it described as "preventable".

The primary failure, the report said, was a failure to secure a nearby rooftop from which the gunman, 20-year-old Matthew Crooks, opened fire before being shot and killed by a sniper.

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The report also identified several technology and communication breakdowns, as well as issues in leadership and training.

Some Secret Service personnel were given "significant responsibility" for the high-risk outdoor event despite having "little to no experience in advance planning roles".

The Secret Service came under intense criticism following the attempt.

Its then director, Kim Cheatle, resigned just weeks after the shooting amid growing anger from both Democrats and Republicans.

As part of its recommendations, the task force suggested that the service reduce the number of protects, which has greatly expanded in recent years. The pool of people it protects includes foreign dignitaries, a number that swells during events such as the UN General Assembly.

The report added that the service - along with Congress and the Department of Homeland Security - should consider whether these additional protective duties "can be transferred or abrogated" in order to prioritise protecting the president and other "critical" US leaders.

Additionally, the report suggested that Congress and the Secretary of Homeland Security should review the service's investigative role, which focuses on fraud, financial crimes and cybercrime.

"The Secret Service's protective mission is at the core of the agency's purpose," the report says. "Anything that distracts or diverts resources from the agency's zero-fail mission must be reconsidered."

Last week, a shouting match erupted at a task force hearing after Republican representative Pat Fallon accused acting director Ronald Rowe of "playing politics" by attending a 9/11 memorial service, but not in a protective capacity.

Fallon said he endangered President Joe Biden's life as he stood nearby, rather than a protective detail, along with Trump and Vice-President Kamala Harris.

Mr Rowe, who replaced Cheatle after she resigned, told Fallon the president's detail also was close by and that he was "out of line" for the remark.