Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Secret Service official overseeing protections is set to retire just months after Trump’s assassination attempt

Secret Service spokesperson said Michael Plati’s retirement was planned before the Trump assassination attempt

Ariana Baio
Tuesday 10 September 2024 22:49 BST
Comments
Secret Service provides timeline of Trump shooting

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A high-ranking Secret Service official with more than 26 years of federal law experience will retire from the agency, months after the assassination attempt on Donald Trump’s life.

Michael Plati, the Assistant Director of the Office of Protective Operations, is a member of the Senior Executive Service. He leads operational divisions that reduce risks at protected events or to protectees. That includes leading the teams in charge of planning for the protection of Trump, President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and more.

Plati had been considering retiring from his position in the agency for months. He will officially retire later this week on his 27th work anniversary, Greg Henning, a spokesman for Plati told The Independent.

“Mike has been discussing this with his family for more than a year,” Henning said. “He approached Acting [Secret Service] Director [Ronald Rowe] about his retirement last month, before the Democratic National Convention.”

The timing of his retirement, in concurrence with the July 13 shooting at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania is coincidental.

Michael Plati, the Assistant Director of the Office of Protective Operations, will retire from the agency after 27 years of federal law enforcement service
Michael Plati, the Assistant Director of the Office of Protective Operations, will retire from the agency after 27 years of federal law enforcement service (Secret Service)

Preliminary investigations into the shooting have suggested that the Secret Service failed to take precautions before the former president appeared on stage at his rally. As a result, a gunman opened fire, killing one rallygoer and injuring others, including the former president.

The agency and its leaders have been under intense scrutiny since the shooting. Amid calls to step down, the former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned.

But Henning, as well as a spokesperson for the Secret Service, said Plati’s decision to retire was unrelated to the fallout from the shooting.

“Assistant Director Plati was not asked to resign or retire by anyone,” a spokesperson for the Secret Service told The Independent on Tuesday. “This was a personal decision that he has made and we thank him for his 27 years of dedicated service to the federal government.”

The acting U.S. Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr. (left) and Deputy Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Paul Abbate (right) testify to Congress about the Trump assassination attempt
The acting U.S. Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr. (left) and Deputy Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Paul Abbate (right) testify to Congress about the Trump assassination attempt (Getty Images)

Leaders in Congress will continue to investigate the Secret Service’s protocols and decisions leading up to the Trump assassination attempt. The former director and acting director of the Secret Service have testified to Congress and more may be asked to do so.

“The U.S. Secret Service respects the role of oversight. We have and will continue to make employees available for transcribed interviews and to date we’ve provided over 2,400 pages of responsive documentation to Congress. These efforts will continue as our desire to learn from this failure and ensure that it never happens again is unwavering,” a spokesperson for the agency said.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in