US Secret Service agents /AP Photo/Evan Vucci
The Defense Department will provide “protective support” to the presidential and vice presidential candidates, increasing its assistance to the Secret Service, the Pentagon said on Thursday, August 29, Agence France-Presse reports.
In July, a gunman lightly wounded Republican candidate Donald Trump and killed a rally participant in a major setback for the Secret Service.
“Defense Department to provide protective support” candidates before the November election and likely before the presidential inauguration in January 2025, Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin approved the Department of Homeland Security's request for assistance, directing the military command responsible for North America to provide additional support to the Secret Service across the country, Singh added.
Trump was shot in the right ear on July 13 at a rally in Pennsylvania. The young man who shot him was killed by a Secret Service sniper.
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned in July after admitting her agency had failed to fulfill its mission to prevent an assassination attempt. U.S. media reported earlier this month that several agents had been placed on leave.
Prepared by: Sergey Daga