President Donald Trump has chosen Sean Curran, the leader of his personal security team who rushed to his aid during an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, to head the Secret Service.

Curran was one of the agents who acted quickly to shield Trump after a bullet grazed his ear during a rally in July, where one attendee was tragically killed, and two others were seriously hurt in the gunfire.

“Sean is a great patriot who has safeguarded my family for years, and that’s why I have faith in him to lead the brave men and women of the United States Secret Service,” Trump stated Wednesday evening.

“He put his life on the line to protect me from an assassin’s bullet,” Trump added in his statement.

Secret Service Criticized for Failures During Assassination Attempt

Various investigations into the Secret Service’s handling of the assassination attempt found the agency at fault for not preventing what was considered a “preventable” attack. Reports highlighted communication breakdowns between Secret Service agents and local law enforcement, who had spotted the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, on a nearby roof over an hour prior to the shooting.

An independent investigation commissioned by the Biden administration criticized the Secret Service for becoming “bureaucratic, complacent, and static,” warning that without necessary reforms, similar attacks “can and will” occur in the future.

Kimberly Cheatle, who was then the head of the Secret Service, resigned following the incident, and several agents were reassigned to administrative duties. However, Curran was not mentioned in the reports nor faced any penalties.

The president appoints the head of the Secret Service without needing Senate approval. In reaction to the assassination attempt, a group of Republican lawmakers introduced legislation to require a confirmation hearing.

Recently, Curran was elevated to deputy special agent in charge of the Presidential Protective Detail last month, having served on Trump’s security team for four years, as reported by CBS News.

Curran previously protected former President Obama and was part of the dignitary protection division, according to Jonathan Wackrow, a former agent who worked alongside him.

Donald Mihalek, a former Secret Service agent, described Curran as intelligent and capable but noted that his and the agency’s success will rely heavily on the support they receive from both the White House and Congress.

“Sean has the experience to lead, but the success of both him and the agency will depend on backing from the White House and Congress,” Mihalek stated to YSL News.

He noted that since September 12, 2001, the day after the 9/11 attacks, the Secret Service’s responsibilities had “doubled,” yet the needed funding and support from Congress have not kept pace, making it necessary for the agency to undergo significant increases in funding, staffing, and human resource changes to effectively recruit and retain top talent unbound by political pressures.

An ‘Inadequate Operational Response’

The Secret Service and Curran’s protective team faced criticism over their handling of two assassination attempts against Trump last year: the Butler shooting and another incident considered by the FBI as an assassination attempt at his golf resort in South Florida.

In the shooting in Pennsylvania, the Secret Service was accused of allowing 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks to ascend a nearby roof where he fired eight shots at Trump, having a clear view, before he was shot dead by an agency sniper.

After the incident, Curran and his team permitted Trump to stand up, pump his fist, and yell “Fight! Fight! Fight!” instead of keeping him low to the ground during evacuation, which endangered both Trump and his protective team amid potential threats from an additional assailant, according to former Secret Service agents and experts who spoke with YSL News.

“Getting him out was a major operational mishap,” remarked former Secret Service Director John Magaw, who analyzed the footage meticulously. While he did not isolate Curran for blame, he was seen close to Trump shortly after the shooting in images taken during the event.

In a separate incident in September, a Secret Service agent noticed a man concealed in the foliage aiming a rifle at Trump from his golf club in West Palm Beach while the former president was on-site.

Subsequent investigations revealed the suspect, Ryan Routh, had waited 12 hours in the woods adjacent to the golf course before targeting Trump with a semi-automatic rifle, prompting concerns over why the Secret Service had not identified him sooner.