Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) on Monday released a whistleblower report containing new allegations involving negligence and incompetence on behalf of the U.S. Secret Service during the July 13 attempt to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Hawley wrote in a post to the social media platform X that his decision to release the platform follows “the latest assassination attempt on [Trump],” which the FBI confirmed occurred on Sunday at the former president’s golf course in West Palm Beach.
“I’m releasing a comprehensive Whistleblower Report on the multiple failures of Secret Service [and] DHS,” wrote Hawley, adding that his report contains new information despite Secret Service “stonewalling” his investigation.
🚨🚨 NEW – Following the latest assassination attempt on @realDonaldTrump, I’m releasing a comprehensive Whistleblower Report on the multiple failures of Secret Service & DHS – including new allegations & numerous unanswered questions due to USSS stonewalling pic.twitter.com/Rxcim9N05U
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) September 16, 2024
Hawley revealed in the report that Secret Service failed to adequately secure the hospital where Trump received treatment after he was shot in the ear by Thomas Crooks (pictured here).
“The hospital site where former President Trump received treatment after the shooting was poorly secured,” wrote Hawley.
He additionally reported the Secret Service agent in charge of site security at the hospital “did not know what was going on and could not answer basic questions about site security.”
Hawley also reported that a whistleblower claimed the Secret Service assigned a lead site agent to the Butler rally who “was known to lack competence and experience in the role,” and that the whistleblower further alleged the agent was “responsible” for mitigating concerns about the building used by Thomas Crooks during the July 13 shooting.
The senator added that a second whistleblower said the agent “personally made decisions that likely compromised the overall security of the event.”
Earlier in the document, Hawley reported a whistleblower claimed the agent “failed a key examination during their federal law enforcement training to become a Secret Service agent.”
Hawley referenced the allegations of incompetence in a Friday appearance on “Jesse Watters Primetime,” when he said the July 13 rally in Butler, “was understaffed, they did not have people who had experience on it. And now this advance agent I’m told may have failed one or more for training exams and was known not to be a top-quality agent.”
He also told the Fox News host that his office received information suggesting the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is urging Secret Service not to comply with Congressional document requests.
“I’m told by people who are close to and have knowledge of the Secret Service’s own internal investigation that the Department of Homeland Security is leaning on the Secret Service not to comply with document requests to Congress,” said Hawley. “This is really getting to be outrageous.”
Senator Hawley just revealed his latest whistleblower tip —>
Turns out the lead advance agent at Trump’s Butler rally—the one in charge of the former president’s entire trip in Pennsylvania—allegedly failed one or more of her training exams . . . pic.twitter.com/0p952Cst0U
— Senator Hawley Press Office (@SenHawleyPress) September 13, 2024
Hawley also revealed in the whistleblower report that, prior to the shooting, Secret Service did not pair agents with Pennsylvania law enforcement to streamline reports of suspicious persons.
The Pennsylvania Daily Star reported in August that the Butler Township Police Department (BTPD) found no records of communications between Secret Service and two members of its department who responded after Crooks began shooting on July 13.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Image “Sen Josh Howley” by Sen. Josh Howley.
