The Secret Service’s failures at last month’s Trump rally were highlighted in previously redacted sections of the Jan. 6 after-action report, which were shared with agency officials weeks before the Butler, Pa., assassination attempt. These passages, now available through a Homeland Security inspector general report obtained by Just the News, reveal serious lapses that jeopardized the safety of then-Vice President Mike Pence and Vice-President-elect-Kamala Harris.
The report details how Pence’s escape vehicle left its assigned post without proper authorization, leaving him stranded amid escalating violence at the Capitol. It also recounts how Secret Service agents experienced communication breakdowns due to signal loss on radios and cell phones. Additionally, it notes the failure to deploy a required explosives detection team when Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris was mistakenly routed past a live pipe bomb just before the Capitol riot began, the outlet reported.
The April 2024 report also revealed that the Secret Service had received intelligence from the FBI and the U.S. Postal Service Inspection Service before January 6, 2021, indicating a “high potential for civil unrest” involving individuals who were expected to be “heavily armed.” Despite these warnings, the Secret Service maintained its standard security plan, which involved a five-person detail inside the Capitol for routine congressional visits. This approach left agents and officers inadequately staffed as violence erupted around them, the outlet continued.
One passage shared with Just the News highlighted that a site agent had informed the inspector general that the restriction on the number of Secret Service personnel allowed inside the Capitol created significant manpower challenges on that day. The publicly available version of the report did not disclose that, for nearly 12 minutes between the breach and Vice President Pence’s relocation, only three individuals were guarding the stairway used for his evacuation: the site agent, the detail supervisor, and one U.S. Capitol Police officer.
The site agent reportedly indicated that additional personnel would have been beneficial during the relocation, as these three were the sole barriers preventing protesters from overtaking the escape route. The report also estimated that Pence was without an escape vehicle for nearly 30 minutes.
The full report, including detailed passages on sensitive Jan. 6 security failures, was provided to Secret Service management and Homeland Security officials in April. This gave them over two months to address significant issues identified by the chief watchdog for the Homeland Security Department. In late June, Secret Service executives responded to the report, with some rejecting the recommendations for enhanced security measures. Recently, the redacted passages were finally shared with House and Senate oversight committees, Just the News added, noting further:
The emergence of the text behind the redactions provide two stark reminders in Washington:
- Despite a full-scale two-year House Democrat probe into Jan. 6 many revelations about security and intelligence failures remain unresolved.
- The Secret Service had clear warning signs it was slipping on its zero-failure mission well before the July 13 Trump assassination attempt rocked the agency and led to the resignation of its director appointed by President Joe Biden.
The passages revealed critical issues with fundamental tools used by the Secret Service to ensure the safety of its protectees, including failures in radio communications. Delays in radio communications were identified as a reason why the Secret Service driver for Pence’s vehicle left the Capitol for nearby loading docks without the detail protecting Pence immediately knowing the vehicle’s departure or its location, according to the redacted report.
Another passage disclosed that the transportation agent moved the motorcade without explicit permission from the detail leader due to communication delays and the rapidly evolving situation outside the Capitol. As the motorcade began relocating, protesters surged through the plaza, breaching barricades at 1:59 p.m. The report notes that some protesters moved towards the motorcade and attempted to block vehicles, but the motorcade was able to navigate around them and rejoin the rest of the convoy.
The report also highlighted that the motorcade lacked a pre-planned escape route, pointing to a significant planning oversight by the Secret Service, Just the News added.
Disclaimer: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.