Josh Hawley Hits Secret Service With 5 Important Questions After New Whistleblower Allegations

Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) sent a letter on Thursday to the head of the United States Secret Service, saying that new whistleblower claims had raised some serious questions about the agency’s actions just prior to the second assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.

Hawley addressed the letter to acting Director Ronald Rowe, saying that a whistleblower with “direct knowledge” of the sequence of events and security measures taken leading up to and immediately after the second assassination attempt — which took place on Sunday afternoon while the former president was playing golf on his home course — had raised concerns about what was and was not done to protect Trump.

“NEW WHISTLEBLOWER allegations — this time about the latest attempt on Trump’s life,” Hawley posted via X. “Whistleblower alleges Secret Service apparently failed to account for ‘known vulnerabilities’ at Trump’s golf course. Shooter was able to lie in wait for 12 hours. What is the explanation?”

???????? NEW WHISTLEBLOWER allegations – this time about the latest attempt on Trump’s life. Whistleblower alleges Secret Service apparently failed to account for “known vulnerabilities” at Trump’s golf course. Shooter was able to lie in wait for 12 hours. What is the explanation? pic.twitter.com/8g9J1aFgog

— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) September 19, 2024

Hawley explained in the letter that the whistleblower had pointed to what he called “known vulnerabilities” in the fence line around Trump’s golf course — and that typically, agents were positioned to mitigate the risks posed by those “vulnerabilities.” But according to the whistleblower’s allegations, they did not “post up” agents in those spots on Sunday — and as a result, Trump’s would-be shooter was able to hole up along the perimeter for 12 hours without detection.

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The new allegations, Hawley said — in addition to the Secret Service’s failure to disclose whether drones or other surveillance tactics had been employed along the fence line at any point prior to the discovery of the suspect — raised five very important questions:

1. Did Secret Service personnel “post up” at known vulnerabilities in the perimeter fencing?
2. Did Secret Service personnel sweep the perimeter prior to the former president’s arrival on the site?
3. Did Secret Service use canine units or Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) elements to monitor the perimeter of the golf course? How were they used?
4. If counter-surveillance personnel were present at the golf course on September 15, as you stated at a recent press conference, in what manner were they deployed? Why did they not detect the gunman sooner?
5. What was the specific counter-surveillance mitigation plan for the known vulnerabilities outside the fence line that day?

Hawley has been pressing the Secret Service for answers since the first attempt on Trump’s life revealed catastrophic failures in security at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. As a result of those failures, Trump was shot in the ear. Two other rally-goers were also injured in the shooting, and firefighter Corey Comperatore was shot and killed while shielding his family members with his body.