Whistleblowers Say Secret Service Knew It Was Understaffed In Days Leading Up To Attempted Trump Assassination

 Whistleblowers told House lawmakers that the Secret Service knew it had “limited” resources to protect former President Donald Trump in the days leading up to the rally in Pennsylvania where he was nearly assassinated.

In a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray, House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) said that whistleblowers had come forward saying that the Secret Service knew it was short staffed ahead of the rally because of a NATO event and a Biden campaign event in Pittsburg with first lady Jill Biden.

“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,” Jordan wrote on Thursday.

“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, D.C. FBI personnel were present at those briefings,” he added.

The Secret Service has come under intense scrutiny after a 20-year-old man was able to fire off several shots at Trump on Saturday, injuring Trump and two other rally attendees, and killing 50-year-old Corey Comperatore.

“Information provided to this Committee raises serious questions about the thoroughness of the security planning by local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies in support of President Trump’s campaign rally,” Jordan wrote.

 

“The Committee has several unanswered questions about the failures that led to the attempted assassination of a president—the first in over forty years—as well as the FBI’s ability to conduct a rapid, transparent, and thorough investigation in the wake of its recent scandals,” Jordan added.

Jordan is requesting a number of documents about the FBI’s investigation into the attack and whether the rally was left understaffed because of the NATO summit and the Biden event. He is requesting the materials by 5:00 p.m. on July 23.

Republicans across the House have announced investigations into the assassination attempt and demanded that Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle come in for public testimony on the incident.