Two men who were injured during the shooting at former President Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania in July are speaking out, claiming the Secret Service is responsible for “negligence” and the security flaws surrounding the assassination attempt.
“I believe there was 100 percent negligence on the Secret Service, probably everybody involved in setting that security, down to inter-department communications,” David Dutch said, one of the two men shot during the July 13 event, told NBC News’s Tom Llamas in an interview Monday.
The other man, Jim Copenhaver, said that he was “sure there was negligence,” the outlet reported.
“It wouldn’t have happened, had it been secure,” Copenhaver added.
An internal Secret Service review uncovered “multiple operational and communications failures” by the agency prior to first assassination threat on Trump’s life. The initial findings indicated gaps in planning including an unclear chain of command between the agents and local law enforcement partners at the rally in Butler, Pa., as well as a lack of ability for them to easily communicate across different radio frequencies.
According to NBC News, Copenhaver faced injuries to his triceps and abdomen. The outlet also reported that Dutch’s liver was struck during the shooting.
“It was like getting hit with a sledgehammer right in the chest,” Dutch said in the interview.
Trump went back to Butler earlier this month for another campaign event at the same site. During that event, the former president recognized those injured in the July shooting, while specifically giving honor to the late Corey Comperatore, who was killed during the incident.
“Corey is not with us tonight, and he should be. He has become somewhat of a folk hero, I have to tell you,” Trump said.
The Secret Service has been under intense scrutiny since the shooting, where the GOP nominee’s ear was grazed with a bullet.
Trump has since faced a second apparent assassination attempt since the first threat. A man was arrested and charged last month for pushing the front of his rifle into the perimeter of the former president’s golf course in Florida. The incident led the House and Senate to pass bills to bolster his protection as the White House race entered its final weeks.
NBC reported that attorneys for Dutch and Copenhaver are in the early stages of crafting a potential lawsuit.
When reached out to, Secret Service said, “we do not comment on pending or proposed litigation.”
