“USSS had limited resources that week because the agency was covering the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Washington, DC.”
Whistleblowers have revealed to the House Judiciary Committee that the Secret Service (USSS) had "limited resources" after it was using agents to cover the NATO summit in Washington DC. The revelations come as the agency is facing higher scrutiny over the attempted assassination on Donald Trump at the Pennsylvania rally last Saturday.
"The Committee on the Judiciary is conducting oversight of the attempted assassination of President Donald J. Trump on July 13, 2024, and investigative actions taken by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in advance of and following the shooting," a letter from the Judiciary Committee said.
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View on X"Whistleblowers have disclosed to the Committee that the USSS led two briefings regarding the July 13 campaign rally on July 8, 2024, with the Western Pennsylvania Fusion Center (WPFC) and other stakeholders, to discuss the upcoming, unrelated visits by President Trump and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden. The USSS Special Agent in Charge Tim Burke reportedly told law enforcement partners that the USSS had limited resources that week because the agency was covering the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Washington, DC. FBI personnel were present at those briefings," the letter added.
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View on RumbleThomas Matthew Crooks, 20, was able to get on top of a building about 150 yards away from Trump with a rifle while the now GOP nominee was speaking. This is despite him being labeled a person of interest by the USSS and security on the scene. He was on the roof 20 minutes before the shots were fired, according to ABC News. The parents of Crooks had tipped police off about their son before the rally took place.
USSS Director Kimberly Cheatle has faced calls to step down from her position and resign for the security failures leading up to the attempted assassination. At the RNC, Sens. Marsha Blackburn, John Barrasso, James Lankford, and Kevin Cramer confronted her after the Senate had a briefing on the matter earlier on Wednesday.
The letter requested that FBI Director Christopher Wray "ensure that the Committee can effectively evaluate these matters during [his] testimony on July 24, 2024." The letter added, "We request that you be prepared to fully address all questions about the attempted assassination of President Trump and the FBI's investigation of it."
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