Whistleblowers within the Department of Homeland Security have alleged that most of former President Donald Trump's security personnel “were not even Secret Service,” according to a Republican lawmaker.
Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri made those claims in a public letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Friday, outlining a series of security failures at Trump's fateful rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
“Whistleblowers who have direct knowledge of the event have contacted my office. According to the allegations, the July 13 rally was deemed a 'lax' security event,” Hawley wrote in the letter. “For example, sniffer dogs were not used to screen entry and detect threats in the usual manner. Individuals without the proper designations were able to access backstage areas.”
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Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., (left) and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas (right). (Fake Images)
Other security protocol lapses allegedly included a lack of personnel stationed around the security perimeter and an inadequately enforced protective zone around the podium.
Among the most worrying is the claim that most of the personnel protecting the former president were not United States Secret Service (USSS) agents.
“The whistleblowers' allegations suggest that the majority of the DHS officials were not actually USSS agents, but rather belonged to the department's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) division,” Hawley wrote. “This is especially concerning given that the HSI agents were not familiar with standard protocols typically used at these types of events, according to the allegations.”
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The Missouri senator criticized DHS for failing to provide information about the incident to Congress and “abruptly ending the only call with USSSS before most senators could even ask a question.”
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin.previously detailed the Secret Service briefing given to senators on Wednesday about the recent assassination attempt on former President Trump, saying that “virtually no information” had been provided.
“The director of the Secret Service admitted there were mistakes and blunders,” Johnson said, referring to Kimberly Cheatle. But the briefing, which was given by another official, “was largely irrelevant,” according to Johnson. Only four senators were allowed to ask questions and there was no follow-up, he said.
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Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is surrounded by security personnel after being shot in the ear at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Hawley's letter demands answers to a number of questions relevant to the claims made by the whistleblowers, including the ratio of USSS and HSI agents and pre-rally security investigations.
Fox News Digital's Julia Johnson contributed to this report.
