The Secret Service’s Failure to Halt a Tragedy at a Trump Rally NYT | Top Stories Eileen Sullivan and Kate Kelly 19 September 2024 at 01:00 Communications gaps, unguarded warehouses and a lack of written instructions opened an opportunity for a gunman at a rally in Butler, Pa., in July. © Kristian Thacker for The New York TimesInadequately securing the warehouses next to the rally site in Butler, Pa., was a critical misstep. But it was hardly the only problem.