The more we learn about the cascade of security failures surrounding the Saturday rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania, leading to the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, the worse it gets.
On Thursday, we learned via the House Judiciary Committee and Chair Jim Jordan (R-OH) that whistleblowers told the committee the Secret Service was understaffed for the rally due to having just handled the NATO Summit in Washington, D.C., and competing for resources with First Lady Jill Biden’s Saturday event in Pittsburgh.
Now, Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) has learned from whistleblowers that most of the security detail for Saturday’s Trump event were not even Secret Service but rather were drawn from the Department of Homeland Security’s Investigations unit, leading to further questions regarding the adequacy of their training and preparedness for a large scale event involving a Secret Service protectee like the former president.
In a post on X Friday morning, Hawley shared a letter he has directed to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and stated:
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
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On Wednesday, Hawley established a tip line and invited whistleblowers to contact his office if they wished to make protected disclosures.
In Friday’s letter to Mayorkas, Hawley stated:
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. 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. Department personnel did not appropriately police the security buffer around the podium and were also not stationed at regular intervals around the event security perimeter.
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). This is especially concerning given that HSI agents were unfamiliar with standard protocols typically used at these types of events, according to the allegations.
As a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which has oversight jurisdiction over your department, I will continue to investigate your department’s role in the staggering security failures on July 13. 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. I will continue to protect the anonymity and confidentiality of all who contact my office and ensure that they receive the full protection under the law to which they are entitled.
Hawley then listed a number of questions regarding the department’s (mis)handling of the event, to be answered within seven days. The letter was also copied to U.S. Secret Service Director Kim Cheatle.
Given the deflection and obfuscation displayed thus far by the agencies, one hopes Senator Hawley isn’t holding his breath on that.
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