Secret Service suspends 6 agents tasked with protecting Trump during July 2024 assassination attempt

Six Secret Service agents were suspended without pay or benefits following a gunman's attempt to take President Donald Trump's life at a Pennsylvania rally last July.

Matt Quinn, the agency's deputy director, told CBS News on Wednesday that they "weren't going to fire [their] way out of this," but did say they are "laser focused on fixing the root cause of the problem."

Quinn told the outlet that the agents' penalty ranged from 10 to 42 days of unpaid leave, adding that they were placed in restricted roles with less responsibility once they returned to the job. He said the disciplinary actions were in accordance with a federally mandated process.

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The agency faced heavy criticism following the security failure, which allowed gunman Thomas Crooks to open fire toward the rally's stage in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024.

Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old firefighter, father and husband attending the rally, was killed while Trump's ear was grazed by a bullet and two other men were injured by gunfire.

Crooks was killed by a Secret Service sniper.

"Secret Service is totally accountable for Butler," Quinn said to CBS. "Butler was an operational failure and we are focused today on ensuring that it never happens again."

He also said the agency is focusing on the "root cause" of the operational failure and fixing "the deficiencies that put us in that situation."

Since the Butler rally, Quinn said the Secret Service has introduced a new fleet of military-grade drones and mobile command posts to improve radio communications with local law enforcement.

The agency faced more criticism weeks later when a second assassination attempt on Trump took place in West Palm Beach, Florida. Though it was stopped, then-Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned and the agency underwent several investigations and congressional hearings.

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A bipartisan House task force released a 180-page report in December stating that the incident in Butler was "preventable," citing "preexisting" leadership and training issues that "created an environment" where security failures were possible.

In the report, lawmakers also pointed out that the Secret Service did not coordinate or plan well with local law enforcement.