Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) said on Friday that he had been told by whistleblowers that a number of individuals in former President Donald Trump’s security team were not properly trained Secret Service agents, marking a notable change from what the agency’s director had previously stated.
In a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas that he posted to the X platform, the Show Me State conservative demanded to know the reason behind reports that he gave the green light for DHS personnel to take over the duties of trained Secret Service agents tasked with protecting Trump’s travel.
“Whistleblowers who have direct knowledge of the event have approached my office. According to the allegations, the July 13 rally was considered to be a ‘loose’ security event. For example, detection canines were not used to monitor entry and detect threats in the usual manner. Individuals without proper designations were able to gain access to backstage areas. Department personnel did not appropriately police the security buffer around the podium and were also not stationed at regular intervals around the event’s security perimeter,” he wrote.
“In addition, whistleblower allegations suggest the majority of DHS officials were not in fact USSS agents but instead drawn from the department’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). This is especially concerning given that HSI agents were unfamiliar with standard protocols typically used at these types of events, according to the allegations,” he added.
Hawley, who serves on the Senate’s Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, has pledged to hold the Department of Homeland Security accountable for not properly training its agents around Trump. However, he is expected to face opposition from Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), who leads the committee and is likely to block it.
Hawley claims to have “learned more from your whistleblowers than your department officials,” referencing Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, who is under heavy scrutiny for overseeing the agency’s worst failure since the 1981 shooting of former President Ronald Reagan. In his letter, he questions how the DHS selected local law enforcement partners for securing the rally, noting that some of these partners are under FBI investigation for failing to confront the gunman.
The Missouri Republican also inquired whether the agents around Trump were properly trained and if there were any security gaps. Trump supporters have pointed out that several female agents appeared to struggle with their firearms or cover Trump in the aftermath of the shooting, a criticism Trump himself has avoided. However, days later, Trump was seen at the Republican National Convention with an all-male security team.
Hawley also demanded info about the duration of time agents were stationed at the location to conduct site inspections before the commencement of the rally on Saturday, hinting at allegations that the shooter had the opportunity to thoroughly search the area and adjacent structures for up to six days prior.
Prior to his fatal shooting, 20-year-old Thomas Crooks managed to discharge several rounds from a high-powered rifle from a rooftop, directly facing the stage. Cheatle has cited a sloping roof as the reason for not positioning an agent at that spot, though that roof was far less sloped than others where Secret Service counter-sniper teams were located.