A Republican senator has received ‘disturbing information’ on Donald Trump’s near assassination from a whistleblower alleging a major protocol was broken before the Butler, Pennsylvania, rally.
The latest allegation, from an anonymous whistleblower, contends that the Secret Service’s Counter Surveillance Division (CSD) – the unit tasked with evaluating event sites in advance – was not present at the deadly rally and never performed a ‘typical evaluation’ before the event.
The anonymous whistleblower’s complaint is one of several filed to Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley in recent weeks.
In addition, the source alleges that Secret Service Acting Director Ronald Rowe, the freshly minted agency chief after former boss Kimberly Cheatle resigned, is at fault for the huge oversight.
Rowe ‘personally directed significant cuts to CSD,’ the whistleblower says.
Secret Service counter snipers on the roof at Trump’s Butler campaign rally. A whistleblower informed Sen. Hawley Thursday the new Secret Service Acting Director personally cut funds to the Counter Surveillance Division (CSD).
The new boss was also personally responsible for slashing the counter surveillance team manpower 20 percent, the whistleblower continues.
All of the allegations outlined 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 expressed concerns about the security at President Trump’s events,’ the Missouri senator informs the acting director.
Rowe has only been in the job for a handful of days after Cheatle resigned last week following a bruising hearing before Congress.
She repeatedly refused to provide new insight into the historic murder attempt yet she stonewalled both Republicans and Democrats, earning scorn and verbal beat downs from both sides of the aisle.
‘Further, Secret Service personnel expressed alarm that individuals were admitted to Trump events ‘without vetting’ and were later ‘retaliated against,’ the letter continues.
Hawley demanded Rowe fork over information about the Secret Service’s Butler rally plan and some of his work communications by August 8.
DailyMail.com reached out to the Secret Service for a response to the allegations.
Similarly devastating is the discovery of a technical flaw that led to radio signals not properly transmitting between Secret Service agents at the rally, the New York Times reports.
Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania, U.S., July 13, 2024
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is covered by U.S. Secret Service agents at a campaign rally
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is rushed offstage during a rally on July 13, 2024
The bug helped Trump shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks sneak around the rally site freely as officers’ communications were inconsistent and ineffective.
An agent was able to yell out ‘Long gun!’ over the local Pennsylvania law enforcement radio network.
But a critical 30 seconds ticked by and the message was never heard.
The report indicates that there were multiple instances of counter measure tool malfunction and improper deployment.
The agency, for example, turned down offers to use drone technology at the rally location, whistleblowers previously disclosed to Hawley.
Snippers stand on a roof at Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump’s campaign rally
After a blistering six hours of testimony former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle handed over her resignation last week
He revealed that one whistleblower had told his office the night before the rally Secret Service ‘repeatedly denied offers from a local law enforcement partner to utilize drone technology to secure the rally.’
The whistleblower alleged that after the shooting Secret Service ‘changed course and asked the local partner to deploy the drone technology to surveil the site in the aftermath.’
The drones that were offered ‘had the ability not only to identify active shooters but to neutralize them,’ according to Hawley.
From Homeland Security Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas Hawley demanded all records and communications related to the drone offer.
The new claim adds another layer to the probe of the Secret Service’s biggest security failure since Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981.
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