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Senator claims Secret Service agents working Trump’s Butler event told not to request additional manpower

August 24, 2024 | | Print Article

Another stone overturned investigating the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump left a senator questioning an “apparent contradiction” on requests for assets.

Acting U.S. Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr. was left with some explaining to do after a new whistleblower claim appeared to shred his previous congressional testimony. Such was the focus of a letter sent to the agency head by Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley (R) who raised concerns about a “preemptive” denial of manpower requests.

Sharing his letter to Rowe on X, the lawmaker captioned the document, “Whistleblower says Secret Service HQ told agents working the Butler PA event NOT to request additional manpower resources for the rally & warned any such requests would be denied. Contradicts Director Rowe testimony, who said no resources were ever denied.”

Hawley asserted how, according to the whistleblower, the directive that “encouraged agents” against requests was “effectively denying these assets through informal means.”

“Yet you have repeatedly suggested that no security assets had been denied for the Butler event. You must explain this apparent contradiction immediately,” demanded the senator.

Particularly concerning was Rowe’s own previous testimony cited by the legislator that argued, “If you’re talking about Butler, Pennsylvania, all assets requested were approved.”

“You also stated directly to me that you have been ‘very transparent and forthcoming’ with Congress. But according to the allegations, you did not tell the full story,” wrote Hawley.

As laid out, a “manpower request” was explained as taking place prior to a protectee trip and was meant to include the “number of personnel and other security assets needed for the event” to be submitted to the Secret Service’s Office of Protective Operations – Manpower.

“According to the allegations, officials within this office preemptively informed the Pittsburgh field office that the Butler rally was not going to receive additional security resources because Trump is a former president and not the incumbent President or Vice President,” stated the letter which asserted additional requests for resources had not been made because agents were already told they would be denied.

“Importantly, these resources included counter-sniper teams and Counter Surveillance Division (CSD) personnel. According to public reports, counter-snipers were ultimately approved, but only the day prior to the event–leaving them an insufficient amount of time to conduct a proper site assessment,” wrote Hawley who reminded “about a separate whistleblower’s allegations to my office that personnel from CSD would have handcuffed the gunman in the parking lot after he was spotted with a rangefinder, but they were not present on the day.”

While former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle had ultimately resigned only after immense pressure for accountability, further action had taken weeks with five members of the agency only placed on leave this week, a month-and-a-half after Trump’s brush with death.

Meanwhile, the same week saw a man arrested in Arizona for allegedly threatening the life of Trump while a Memphis-area man who’d been arrested in Mississippi was indicted for alleged threats against President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and former President Barack Obama.

As Trump promised to form a commission on assassination attempts that would also see to the release of the remaining documents about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Hawley sought answers in the meantime as to who conveyed the alleged message that manpower requests would be denied and asked whether the individual or individuals had been disciplined.

He also asked what assets had been left out of the request, whether Rowe had “personal knowledge” about the request prior to testimony and he sought a copy of the request that had been submitted for the Butler rally, seeking an immediate and public response.

Kevin Haggerty
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