Inside an Unprepared Secret Service

After the assassination attempt on former President Donald J. Trump in Butler, Pa., Congress held hearings on the failures of the Secret Service, and its director, Kimberly Cheatle, stepped down.

Weeks later, another man attempted to shoot the former president, increasing concerns that something had gone very wrong at the Secret Service.

Eric Lipton, an investigative reporter for The New York Times, explains why the agency’s failures are indicative of much more troubling issues.

Guest: Eric Lipton, an investigative reporter for The New York Times.

Background reading:

• An exodus of agents left the Secret Serviceunprepared for 2024.
• FromJuly: The Secret Service has facedquestions about its decisions before and immediately after the assassination attempt in Butler.
• From September:The Secret Service had not swept the area where a gunman lay in wait as Mr. Trump embarked on a short-notice golf outing.

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