ISTANBUL

In the wake of last year’s attempt to assassinate then-presidential candidate Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, the US Secret Service suspended six agents without pay during an investigation of the incident, but did not fire them, a top official at the agency told US media.

Matt Quinn, deputy director of the Secret Service, which provides security for the president and major presidential candidates, told CBS News on Wednesday that the punishments involved 10 to 42 days of leave without pay or benefits.

When the agents returned, they were assigned to restricted duties or positions with reduced responsibilities, he added.

"We are laser-focused on fixing the root cause of the problem," said Quinn, defending the agency's decision not to fire anyone after the security failure on July 13, 2024, in which a gunman opened fire during a campaign rally and a bullet grazed Trump's ear.

Thomas Crooks, the accused gunman, was killed by a Secret Service sniper after the incident, while two agents were injured.

"We aren't going to fire (agents) our way out of this," Quinn said.

"We're going to focus on the root cause and fix the deficiencies that put us in that situation," he added.

Saying that the Secret Service was "totally accountable" for the incident, Quinn called it an "operational failure," adding the service is now focused on making sure that it will never be repeated.

After the shooting, it emerged that some law enforcement officers as well as members of the public were aware of Crooks up to 90 minutes before the incident.

In recent years, the Secret Service has been plagued by personnel shortages as well as some scandals involving agent acting inappropriately.