Despite being the world’s top protective agency, the Secret Service was unable to prevent a gunman from accessing the roof of a building just 150 yards from Trump’s stage and firing a bullet that grazed his ear. The gunman managed to fire several bullets, killing one spectator and injuring two others, before being neutralized by snipers. New evidence has since emerged, further questioning the effectiveness of the security detail assigned to protect the former president and whether adequate measures were taken to ensure his safety. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) has sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas highlighting numerous security lapses. Hawley described the situation as DHS’s “stunning failure” to protect Trump. One of the most serious allegations in the whistleblower testimony is that the majority of officials protecting Trump were not actually U.S. Secret Service agents but personnel from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). “This is especially concerning given that HSI agents were unfamiliar with standard protocols typically used at these types of events,” Hawley stated. According to whistleblower statements, the rally was considered a “loose” security event, despite Trump being a former president with well-documented threats against his life. Several examples of security lapses were cited: dogs were not used to monitor entry and detect threats; individuals without proper credentials accessed backstage areas; federal security personnel did not appropriately monitor the area around the podium and were not stationed at regular intervals along the rally’s security perimeter. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle is scheduled to testify on July 22 to the House Oversight Committee, amid growing calls for her resignation. In Hawley’s letter, on which Cheatle is carbon copied, he demands answers to several questions, including what percentage of DHS agents at the event were from HSI rather than Secret Service, and if they were properly trained for such assignments.Last week, an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump shocked the world in an incident that has raised difficult questions about the Secret Service's ability to protect high-profile individuals.
