Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas called the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump on Saturday a "failure" of the Secret Service, which is housed within his department.
"An incident like this cannot happen," Mayorkas told CNN on Monday. "That is precisely why President [Joe] Biden directed an independent review — so that that review, its conclusions, and its recommendations have the full confidence of the American public.
"We will carefully analyze in an independent and thorough fashion what occurred. Recommendations will be made. Those recommendations will be implemented."
When pressed on whether the shooting was a "failure" of the agency, Mayorkas confirmed that it was.
"[W]hen I say that something like this cannot happen, we are speaking of a failure," he said. "We are going to analyze — through an independent review — how that occurred, why it occurred, and make recommendations and findings to make sure it doesn't happen again.
"I couldn't be clearer," Mayorkas added.
Mayorkas echoed Biden's comments about the attempt on Trump's life and called for a cooling of the country's political rhetoric.
The Secret Service has come under intense scrutiny since a gunman opened fire from a nearby rooftop during Trump's campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. The former president's ear was grazed by a bullet, while former fire chief Corey Comperatore, 50, was killed shielding his family during the attack. Rallygoers David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74, were initially listed in critical condition, but were listed as stable as of Sunday.
Congressional Republicans have promised to launch investigations into the assassination attempt, and Biden has ordered an independent review of security measures at the rally.
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle said the agency will cooperate with both the independent review and congressional inquiries. She is slated to testify before the House Oversight Committee on July 22.
In a statement on Saturday, Mayorkas condemned "this violence in the strongest possible terms" and commended "the Secret Service for their swift action."
"We are engaged with President Biden, former President Trump, and their campaigns, and are taking every possible measure to ensure their safety and security," he said. "Maintaining the security of the Presidential candidates and their campaign events is one of our Department's most vital priorities."
During a White House briefing on Monday, Mayorkas said an independent review of the attack will begin within days.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.