The Secret Service has deployed large forces to protect former President Donald J. Trump as he prepares to hold a rally in Butler, Pa., where a gunman attacked him in July.
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Security scanners at the Butler Farm Show grounds in Butler, Pa., where former President Donald J. Trump is set to speak, on Saturday.
The U.S. Secret Service has deployed hundreds of agents and local law enforcement officials to guard former President Donald J. Trump when he returns to Butler, Pa., for a rally Saturday evening, hoping to seal up the holes that left him vulnerable to a would-be assassin at the same venue in July.
Teams that handle surveillance, intelligence, assaults and snipers have been deployed to the Butler Farm Show grounds, where the rally is being held, said Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesman for the service. Local roads will be more restricted than they were at the July rally, he added. A unified command center where local officials can communicate has been established, and teams equipped to detect harmful chemical, radiological and biological agents have been deployed.
It is all an attempt to remedy the security lapses that led to an assassination attempt on Mr. Trump on July 13, when a lone gunman fired eight rounds at the former president during a rally, wounding him and two others and killing a man who was sitting in the bleachers behind Mr. Trump. Since then, the Secret Service has come under mounting pressure by Congress, the Department of Homeland Security and the public to address its missteps.
In the coming weeks, Congress and the White House will receive the results of an internal Secret Service study, known as a mission-assurance report, that will identify the problems that permitted a shooter to infiltrate the rally on July 13 and make recommendations on how to fix them.
“We’ve made sure in this planning that those gaps have been covered, very methodically,” Mr. Guglielmi said.
Secret Service agents working the Butler site today will be aided by colleagues from Homeland Security Investigations, the Transportation Security Administration, the Pennsylvania State Police and Butler Township, among others, he said.
Some of the increased security measures were evident as people gathered hours before the rally. Ballistic glass that can deflect bullets was positioned around the area where Mr. Trump is expected to speak, and sharpshooters were visible on some of the low-lying surrounding buildings.
Members of the Secret Service team that typically guards President Biden — called the presidential protective detail — have assisted with the planning of the event. Members of Mr. Biden’s advance detail have been on loan to both Mr. Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, his rival in the presidential election, in the aftermath of the first Butler rally.
Maggie Haberman contributed reporting from Butler, Pa.
Kate Kelly covers money, policy and influence for The Times. More about Kate Kelly
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Source: nytimes.com
