The Secret Service has admitted to rejecting certain requests from Donald Trump’s campaign for heightened security measures at his events prior to the recent assassination attempt on him during a rally.
Initially, the agency denied these rejections following the July 13 attack. However, a week later, they confirmed having turned down some requests for increased security around Trump.
This reversal is expected to be a major topic at a congressional hearing on Monday, where Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle will appear before lawmakers expressing anger over the security breaches that allowed a 20-year-old gunman to climb onto a nearby building’s roof at Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and open fire.
Trump sustained a wound to his right ear, one rally attendee was killed, and two others were injured. Secret Service agents neutralized the shooter.
This incident marks the most serious assassination attempt on a president or presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981, adding to a series of security lapses that have previously subjected the Secret Service to investigations and public scrutiny.
The agency’s chief spokesperson, Anthony Guglielmi, said in a statement released late Saturday to The Washington Post, “The Secret Service has a vast, dynamic, and intricate mission. Every day we work in a dynamic threat environment to ensure our protectees are safe and secure across multiple events, travel, and other challenging environments.”
He added, “We execute a comprehensive and layered strategy to balance personnel, technology, and specialized operational needs.”
Guglielmi also mentioned that the agency sometimes relies on state and local law enforcement departments when specialized Secret Service units are unavailable.
“In some instances where specific Secret Service specialized units or resources were not provided, the agency made modifications to ensure the security of the protectee,” Guglielmi said. “This may include utilizing state or local partners to provide specialized functions or otherwise identifying alternatives to reduce public exposure of a protectee.”
After the assassination attempt, as reports began to circulate about the agency denying the Trump campaign’s requests, Guglielmi issued a denial.
There is “an untrue assertion that a member of the former President’s team requested additional security resources & that those were rebuffed,” Guglielmi said in a social media post. “This is absolutely false. In fact, we added protective resources & technology & capabilities as part of the increased campaign travel tempo.”
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas called the incident a “failure,” while several lawmakers have called for Cheatle to resign or for President Joe Biden to fire her. Despite this, Cheatle does not plan to step down and continues to have the support of Biden and Mayorkas.
Nevertheless, the agency’s admission of denying some security requests has provoked fresh condemnation.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said on CNN’s “State of the Union” that the reversal “is just beyond the pale” and that Cheatle’s “got a lot to answer for.”
Johnson mentioned that lawmakers would release details about a bipartisan congressional task force to investigate the Secret Service on Monday.
Rep. James Comer, chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, which has subpoenaed Cheatle for a hearing, said the agency’s more than $3 billion annual budget “is more than enough” to provide adequate protection.
“We want to know who’s at fault for what happened,” the Kentucky Republican said.
Eric Trump, Trump’s son, said Cheatle should resign in “absolute disgrace.”
“The fact that she is still in her job is beyond,” he said on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.”
Biden has ordered an independent investigation, with the Homeland Security Department and congressional committee also investigating.
Trump stated he received no warning from law enforcement about any suspicious person before taking the stage in Pennsylvania. Some rally attendees reported seeing the gunman on the roof before Trump’s appearance and alerted on-site authorities.
In an interview with Fox News host Jesse Watters set to air Monday, Trump said, “No, nobody mentioned it, nobody said there was a problem” before he took the stage and a gunman opened fire. “They could’ve said, ‘Let’s wait for 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 5 minutes, something.’ Nobody said. I think that was a mistake.”
Trump also questioned the security breaches and how the gunman accessed the roof.
“How did somebody get on that roof? And why wasn’t he reported? Because people saw that he was on the roof,” Trump said. “So you would’ve thought someone would’ve done something about it.”
Local law enforcement officers had seen the man, circulated his photo, and witnesses reported seeing him scaling the building.
Trump’s campaign and the White House did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment.
