India, July 3 -- In the agonising minutes leading up to the July 13, 2024, assassination attempt on US President Donald Trump, local law enforcement channels in Butler, Pennsylvania, were alive with escalating panic. Officers were actively tracking a suspicious individual pacing the perimeter, adjusting a rangefinder, and eventually scaling the roof of the AGR International building.

Yet, a blistering federal watchdog report released Thursday reveals that the US Secret Service was entirely deaf to this unfolding emergency, failing to receive 102 consecutive local radio transmissions as the gunman positioned himself for a clear line of sight to the stage.

The investigation, conducted by the US Department of Homeland Security's Inspector ...