Americans have many questions on how security could have failed the former president so badly. Now we’re getting the inside scoop.
Because a whistleblower busted the Trump assassination case wide open.
Whistleblowers have informed the House Judiciary Committee that the Secret Service faced “limited resources” in staffing the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, where former President Donald Trump narrowly escaped an assassination attempt.
Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan, an Ohio Republican, shared this information in a letter sent Thursday to FBI Director Christopher A. Wray.
According to the whistleblowers, the Secret Service held two briefings on July 8 with the Western Pennsylvania Fusion Center and other stakeholders to discuss plans for Trump’s campaign rally and a separate event for First Lady Jill Biden in Pittsburgh.
“The USSS Special Agent in Charge Tim Burke reportedly told law enforcement partners that the USSS had limited resources that week because the agency was covering the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Washington, D.C.,” Mr. Jordan wrote.
Although Jordan’s letter did not explicitly state that this led to a decision to understaff Trump’s rally, a press release from the Judiciary Committee made that connection clear.
“Whistleblowers have disclosed to the Committee that the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) did not have proper resources for President Trump’s campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania because of staffing shortages due to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit and First Lady Jill Biden’s event in [Pittsburgh], Pennsylvania,” the press release stated.
The Washington Times reached out to the Secret Service for comment. In previous public statements, the Secret Service has denied reports of understaffing at the event.
The agency specifically refuted claims that it had denied additional security resources requested by Trump’s team as “absolutely false.”
“In fact, recently the U.S. Secret Service added protective resources and capabilities to the former President’s security detail,” said Secret Service Chief of Communications Anthony Guglielmi on Sunday.
In his letter, Jordan noted that FBI personnel were present at the July 8 briefings mentioned by the whistleblowers and that he was bringing the matter to Wray’s attention because the FBI “is the lead federal investigative arm and a key source of intelligence on potential threats for special events in its area of responsibility.”
The information provided by the whistleblowers “raises serious questions about the thoroughness of the security planning by local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies in support of President Trump’s campaign rally,” Jordan stated.
Wray is scheduled to testify before the Judiciary Committee on Wednesday for its annual FBI oversight hearing.
Jordan advised him to be prepared to address questions about the investigation into the attempted assassination, including whether the whistleblowers’ claims that the security at Trump’s rally was compromised due to resource constraints from the NATO Summit and Jill Biden’s event.
Jordan and other committee members will also seek answers regarding the coordination between the FBI, Secret Service, and Pennsylvania law enforcement officials prior to the July 13 rally, including decisions on which buildings to secure for the event and why the roof that the shooter climbed was left unprotected.
Other questions raised by Jordan include:
- How much time elapsed between identifying the shooter as a potential threat and the attempted assassination?
- How much time passed between the local police officer encountering the shooter on the sloped roof and the attempted assassination, and did the FBI interview that officer?
- What does the FBI’s evaluation of the shooter’s phone and digital activity reveal about his actions and movements in the days and hours leading up to the attempted assassination?
Stay tuned to the DC Daily Journal.
