A Republican senator has received “disturbing information” about Donald Trump’s near-assassination from a whistleblower who claimed important protocol was broken ahead of a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The latest allegation, from an anonymous whistleblower, alleges that the Secret Service’s Counter Surveillance Division (CSD) — the unit tasked with assessing event sites in advance — was not present at the deadly rally and never conducted a “typical assessment” before the event.
The whistleblower’s complaint is one of several filed with Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley in recent weeks.
The source also alleges that acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe, the agency’s new chief after former chief Kimberly Cheatle resigned, is to blame for the massive oversight.
Rowe “personally ordered significant cuts to the CSD,” the whistleblower claims.
Secret Service snipers on the roof of Trump’s campaign rally in Butler. A whistleblower informed Sen. Hawley on Thursday that the new acting director of the Secret Service personally cut funding to the Counter Surveillance Division (CSD).
The new chief was also personally responsible for reducing the counter-surveillance team’s staff by 20 percent, the whistleblower continued.
All of the allegations described by the whistleblower were revealed in a letter Hawley sent to Rowe himself.
‘The whistleblower also alleges retaliation against those within the Secret Service who raised concerns about security at President Trump’s events,’ the Missouri senator tells the acting director.
Rowe has only been in office a few days after Cheatle resigned last week following an acrimonious hearing before Congress.
She repeatedly refused to provide new information about the historic assassination attempt, but stonewalled both Republicans and Democrats, earning scorn and verbal beatings from both parties.
In addition, Secret Service personnel expressed alarm that people were allowed into Trump events “without prior vetting” and then “retaliated against,” the letter continued.
Hawley demanded that Rowe hand over information about Butler’s Secret Service demonstration plan and some of his work communications by August 8.
DailyMail.com has contacted the Secret Service for a response to the allegations.
Equally devastating is the discovery of a technical glitch that caused radio signals to not be transmitted correctly between Secret Service agents at the rally. New York Times reports.
Republican presidential candidate and former US President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania, US, July 13, 2024.
Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump is covered by U.S. Secret Service agents at a campaign rally
Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump is hurriedly removed from the stage during a rally on July 13, 2024.
The mistake helped Trump shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks to freely sneak around the rally site while officers’ communications were inconsistent and ineffective.
An officer was able to yell “Long gun!” over the local Pennsylvania police radio network.
But 30 critical seconds passed and the message was never heard.
The report indicates that there were multiple instances of countermeasure tools malfunctioning and being implemented incorrectly.
The agency, for example, rejected offers to use drone technology at the protest site, whistleblowers previously disclosed to Hawley.
Snipers stand on a rooftop during a campaign rally for Republican presidential candidate and former US President Donald Trump
After six grueling hours of testimony, former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle tendered her resignation last week.
He revealed that a whistleblower had told his office the night before the rally that the Secret Service “repeatedly rejected offers from a local law enforcement partner to use drone technology to protect the rally.”
The whistleblower said that after the shooting, the Secret Service “changed course and asked the local partner to deploy drone technology to monitor the scene after the incident.”
The drones on offer “had the ability to not only identify active shooters but neutralize them,” Hawley said.
Hawley demanded all records and communications related to the drone deal from Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
The new claim adds another layer to the investigation into the biggest Secret Service security failure since Ronald Reagan was assassinated in 1981.