The Secret Service agent in charge of former President Donald Trump’s July 13 rally in Butler, Pa., “was known to be incompetent” and “failed a key examination during their federal law enforcement training,” according to new whistleblower allegations released by a Republican lawmaker.
The unidentified agent was one of several Secret Service officials sidelined after catastrophic security failures led to would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, killing rallygoer Corey Comperatore, 50, wounding Trump, 78, and critically injuring rally attendees David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74, whistleblowers added.
Whistleblowers alleged that the agent placed “flags around the Butler stage and catwalk, impairing visibility” — despite such items being “typically prohibited because of how they affected the line-of-sight of those agents responsible for identifying threats,” a 21-page report unveiled Monday by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) shows.
The allegations also note that Secret Service intelligence units “were absent from the Butler rally,” which would have “mitigated” the communication breakdown that occurred just minutes before Trump, 78, took the main stage and was struck by a would-be assassin’s bullet on the right ear.
“The hospital site where former President Trump received treatment after the shooting was poorly secured,” the report also states. “The Secret Service site agent responsible for hospital security did not know what was going on and could not answer basic questions about site security.”
“When will Secret Service or DHS publicly name the lead site agent for the rally and the lead agent for the Butler visit?” Hawley pressed in the report.
The Missouri Republican opened a tip line for Secret Service agents to begin making disclosures within four days of the assassination attempt, revealing stunning oversights that have since been confirmed in part by the agency.
Earlier whistleblower disclosures mentioned the lack of a typical threat assessment at the rally site, the refusal to deploy drones to scope the area out and a warning “not to request additional security resources because they would be denied.”
Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe, who was elevated to head the agency after the resignation of former director Kimberly Cheatle, acknowledged that drones were not used when questioned by Hawley at a Senate hearing last month.
FBI Director Christopher Wray also testified to the House Judiciary Committee in August that Crooks had used a drone from Chinese company DJI, raising new questions in Congress about restricting such devices, a source previously told The Post.
The Secret Service has since admitted that it had denied resources to Trump’s security detail in the two years leading up to the shooting at the Pennsylvania campaign event.
For that reason, some Department of Homeland Security agents were moved from “child exploitation cases” to fill gaps in Secret Service staffing, while only receiving training via “a poor-quality, two-hour webinar.”
Local law enforcement were also initially stationed on the roof of the American Glass Research building where Crooks later set up his sniper’s perch — but later climbed off “because of hot weather.”
Rowe, during the August joint hearing with the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security committees, admitted that the local team had “posted up inside” and that “moving forward … we’re going to ensure that state and local counter snipers are on roofs.”
The acting Secret Service chief denied that it was “a fact” the local law enforcement agents abandoned their post due to the heat — but added that the Butler rally was the first to involve Secret Service counter-snipers, one of whom shot and killed Crooks within seconds of the would-be assassin opening fire.
In total, Hawley has written seven letters combined to Rowe and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas but said in the report that “to date, Secret Service and DHS have provided virtually no answers.”
Here’s the latest on the assassination attempt against Donald Trump:
- Would-be Trump assassin Thomas Crooks visited gun range dozens of times — including Christmas — for ‘intense preparation’
- Newly surfaced texts show Trump rally gunman was on authorities’ radar more than 90 minutes before shooting: report
- FBI to conduct victim interview with Donald Trump after assassination attempt
- Ex-Trump doc says FBI’s Wray is ‘wrong’ to doubt ex-prez was struck by bullet: ‘Absolutely no evidence’
- Trump defends female Secret Service agent who was criticized after assassination attempt: ‘So brave’
“Who, within the Secret Service or DHS, made the decision to deny counter sniper coverage to the rooftop from which Thomas Crooks shot former President Trump on July 13?” Hawley asked in his report.
“Did the Acting Secret Service Director ever deny resources to the Trump campaign, or USSS counter sniper teams, as has been reported in the press?” he prodded.
The Secret Service, FBI, Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General and two congressional committees are all investigating the first assassination attempt.
Hawley alleged that the federal agencies “have closed ranks” as the Senate Homeland Security Committee and House Select Task Force investigating the assassination attempt seek answers.
“In fact, sources with direct knowledge of Secret Service’s own internal investigation have alleged to Senator Hawley that the Department of Homeland Security is leaning on Secret Service not to comply with document requests from Congress,” the report claims. “Instead, it has been left to courageous whistleblowers to tell the story of what really happened.”
“Left alone, these agencies will not reform themselves. They will continue to stonewall and obfuscate,” it adds. “Plainly, it is now up to Congress and the President to clean house at these failing agencies at the earliest possible opportunity.”
A second apparent assassination attempt occurred on Sunday afternoon as Trump was golfing as his club in West Palm Beach, Fla., but the gunman, Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was fired on by Secret Service agents and fled — apparently before he could get a shot off at the former president.
Routh, who came within 300 to 500 yards of the 45th president, was later arrested and appeared Monday morning in federal court to be arraigned on a pair of weapons charges.
“The U.S. Secret Service is aware of the Senator’s report and will continue to work with Congressional oversight committees in both the House and the Senate,” a spokesperson told The Post in a statement.
