Scathing Secret Service probe details haphazard securing of Butler rally and communication breakdowns

A scathing report from the Secret Service details failures by agents in the hours leading up to the shooting of Donald Trump -including breakdowns in communication and haphazard securing of the site.

The findings are part of a Secret Service probe into the July 13 shooting at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The shooting wounded Trump in the ear. It also left one spectator dead and two more hurt.

Gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks was able to climb onto the roof of a building only a few hundred yards away and fire at Trump with an AR-style rifle. Crooks was shot dead by snipers, but not before wounding the Republican nominee for president.

The attempted assassination led to outrage over the Secret Service’s handling of the event and the agency’s response. It was learned soon after the local police had flagged Crooks as a person of interest. But while searching for him, he was able to get onto the roof and open fire.

The fallout from the shooting and a slow investigation led to the resignation of then-director Kimberly Cheatle.

This week, Congressional leaders were briefed behind closed doors about the shooting.

Now, the Washington Post has detailed some of the Secret Service’s findings, according to sources.

That report stated that agents had discussed using flags and heavy equipment to obstruct the view between the building where Crooks fired from and the stage. However, when agents arrived on July 13, they found that the trucks and flags had not been deployed in a way that blocked the line of sight from the roof.

Secret Service officials also found weaknesses in the communication system for candidate-centric events — compared to those used when the president or vice president speaks.

In Butler, the Secret Service radio room