Sen. Hawley says most of Trump rally security was not Secret Service, but unprepared and inexperienced
Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri has accused the Secret Service of assigning inexperienced and unprepared personnel to provide security at an event where former President Donald Trump was injured in an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. Whistleblowers informed Hawley that most of the security detail at the rally were not Secret Service agents, and instead, personnel from the Department of Homeland Security. Hawley has demanded answers from Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and raised concerns about the lack of proper security protocols at the event. The senator criticized the department for not being transparent with Congress and asked for more information about the security failures that led to the incident. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle is set to testify before the House Oversight Committee, and the agency has pledged to cooperate with investigations to prevent such events from happening in the future.
The Secret Service did not assign its best people to the Butler, Pennsylvania, rally at which former President Donald Trump was wounded in an assassination attempt, according to Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri.
“Whistleblowers tell me that MOST of Trump’s security detail working the event last Saturday were not even Secret Service,” Hawley posted on X on Friday.
“DHS assigned unprepared and inexperienced personnel,” he said.
In a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, the senator expanded on his allegations and demanded answers.
🚨🚨 Whistleblowers tell me that MOST of Trump’s security detail working the event last Saturday were not even Secret Service. DHS assigned unprepared and inexperienced personnel 👇 pic.twitter.com/eo4jNmJWFT
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) July 19, 2024
“Whistleblowers who have direct knowledge of the event have approached my office. According to the allegations, the July 13 rally was considered to be a ‘loose’ security event,” Hawley wrote.
“For example, detection canines were not used to monitor entry and detect threats in the usual manner. Individuals without proper designations were able to gain access to backstage areas,” he said.
“Department personnel did not appropriately police the security buffer around the podium and were also not stationed at regular intervals around the event’s security perimeter,” the senator said.
Hawley said there was a deeper reason for the problems with security than those that have been reported.
“In addition, whistleblower allegations suggest the majority of DHS officials were not in fact USSS agents but instead drawn from the department’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI),” he wrote. “This is especially concerning given that HSI agents were unfamiliar with standard protocols typically used at these types of events, according to the allegations.”
The senator rebuked Mayorkas, saying, “Unfortunately, your department has not been appropriately forthcoming with Members of Congress — abruptly ending the only call with USSS before most senators could even ask a question. This is completely unacceptable and contrary to the public’s interest in transparency.
“Instead, we have learned more from whistleblowers than your department’s officials.”
Hawley then asked several questions about the reliance on state and local police, the number of security personnel used who were not part of the Secret Service, and details of the preparation to protect Trump on the day of the rally.
“This incident represents a staggering security failure by the U.S. Secret Service and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to appropriately protect the former president and prevent violence at a peaceful political event,” Hawley said in a news release on Wednesday.
“A host of critical questions remain unanswered, and it is vital that the American people know the truth as soon as possible,” he said.
Nobody in the Biden Admin ever takes responsibility for anything
Nobody in the Biden Admin ever gets fired
One thing’s for sure: Biden’s Secret Service Director should be gone pic.twitter.com/XrJFM0bfr1
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) July 18, 2024
On Monday, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle will testify before the House Oversight Committee, according to ABC News.
“The Secret Service is fully accountable for the safety of its protectees,” Secret Service spokesman Anthony Gugliemi said. “We are committed to better understanding what happened before, during, and after the assassination attempt of former President Trump to ensure it never happens again.
“That includes complete cooperation with Congress, the FBI, and other relevant investigations.”
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