Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
New York Post
Secret Service repeatedly turned down police offer of drone help before Trump assassination bid: whistleblower
By Ryan King,
6 hours ago
Local law enforcement proposed to help with drone technology at the Butler, Pa. rally where former President Donald Trump was nearly assassinated earlier this month but was turned down by the Secret Service, a whistleblower claimed, according to Sen. Josh Hawley .
Hawley (R-Mo.), 44, penned a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Thursday demanding answers about a whistleblower’s allegations that the Secret Service “repeatedly” rejected the offer.
“The night before the rally, US Secret Service repeatedly denied offers from a local law enforcement partner to utilize drone technology to secure the rally,” Hawley wrote to Mayorkas citing the whistleblower.
“The whistleblower further alleges that after the shooting took place, USSS changed course and asked the local partner to deploy the drone technology to surveil the site in the aftermath of the attack,” he added.
The Department of Homeland Security is the agency that oversees the Secret Service.
Donald Trump did a defiant fist pump after getting shot at earlier this month. AP
Hawley previously went public with whistleblower allegations that an officer who was designated to observe the roof of the shed where would-be assassin Thomas Crooks, 20, fired shots from, but left the spot because it was “too hot.”
🚨🚨 NEW – Whistleblower tells me local law enforcement partners & suppliers offered drones to Secret Service BEFORE the rally – but Secret Service declined pic.twitter.com/UM0jfrMc9z
Ultimately, Crooks fired multiple shots at the rally, killing firefighter Corey Comperatore, 50, severely injuring two others — David Dutch, 57, as well as James Copenhaver, 74.— and nicking Trump’s ear.
Josh Hawley is demanding answers from the DHS about the assassination attempt against Donald Trump. Jack Gruber, Jack Gruber / USA TODAY NETWORK Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Wray also verified during his testimony before the Judiciary Committee Wednesday reports that Crooks had conducted surveillance within the vicinity of the rally area with a drone roughly two hours before the assassination attempt.
Specifically, Crooks had used a drone from Chinese company DJI, which has sparked renewed conversations in Congress about restricting such devices, a source told The Post.
Crooks, who was roughly 150 yards north of Trump during the attack, was later killed by law enforcement.
“It is hard to understand why [the Secret Service] would decline to use drones when they were offered, particularly given the fact USSS permitted the shooter to overfly the rally area with his own drone mere hours before [the] event,” Hawley went on.
Hawley further revealed that a whistleblower alleged the drones that had been offered would have been able to “help neutralize” an active shooter.
Secret Service has come under intense scrutiny in the wake of the assassination attempt against Donald Trump. Obtained by NY Post
When asked for comment, the Secret Service directed The Post to DHS, which did not immediately respond to an inquiry.
In the meantime, Trump is contemplating sticking with indoor rallies instead of outdoor ones for the foreseeable future, NBC reported .
On Tuesday Kimberly Cheatle announced her resignation as Secret Service director amid fierce pressure from both Republicans and some Democrats to do so.
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents after an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pa. AP
The July 13 assassination attempt against Trump marked the closest a gunman had gotten to killing a sitting or former US president since 1981 when John Hinckley Jr. shot Ronald Reagan.
Trump emerged at the podium afterward with blood streaming down his face and a defiant fist-pump before Secret Service agents whisked him away. At the Republican National Convention last week, he donned a bandage over his right ear.
Since the attempt, numerous groups, including the DHS inspector general and a bipartisan House task force have initiated investigations into the security failures revolving around the Butler, Pa. rally.
Hawley is demanding that the DHS fork over “all records and communications concerning the availability or use of drones” at the rally within the next seven days. He is also calling on Mayorkas to testify before Congress next week.
Donald Trump has since opened up about his brush with death. AFP via Getty Images
The House is slated to commence its August recess at the end of this week, but the Senate is scheduled to be in session next week.
The House House Homeland Security Committee has subpoenaed Mayorkas for documents pertaining to the assassination attempt.
Additional reporting by Joshua Christenson
For top headlines, breaking news and more, visit nypost.com.
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments. It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency: our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. We strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation. Join us in shaping the news narrative together.
Comments / 0