{"id":2303950,"date":"2024-07-21T14:28:01","date_gmt":"2024-07-21T18:28:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/whistleblowers-trumps-butler-rally-was-a-loose-security-event\/"},"modified":"2024-07-21T14:31:48","modified_gmt":"2024-07-21T18:31:48","slug":"whistleblowers-claim-trumps-butler-rally-had-lax-security-45","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/whistleblowers-claim-trumps-butler-rally-had-lax-security-45\/","title":{"rendered":"Whistleblowers claim Trump&#8217;s Butler Rally had lax security"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwhistleblowers-claim-trumps-butler-rally-had-lax-security-45%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2303950&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Federal \u2062officials planned former President Donald Trump&#8217;s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania with\u200d &#8220;loose \u2064security,&#8221; according to whistleblower allegations. A gunman at the rally shot and wounded the former president, injured two \u2063attendees, \u2064and killed firefighter and father Corey Comperatore. Senator Josh Hawley criticized the security lapses at the rally, highlighting allegations of inexperienced personnel and failure to follow standard protocols. The \u200bHouse Judiciary Committee expressed concerns about the lack of security measures leading to \u200cthe assassination \u200dattempt. Trump&#8217;s security detail had requested increased resources before the \u200brally, but\u200b was denied. Several questions \u2062remain unanswered \u200bregarding the security failures that allowed the assassination attempt to occur. Police had reportedly informed the Secret Service about their lack of manpower to secure the building used by the gunman. Despite early warnings and sightings of the shooter, the security response was deemed inadequate. Security personnel were criticized for leaving Trump&#8217;s head unprotected and fumbling with their \u200dholsters during the incident.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Federal officials planned former President Donald Trump&rsquo;s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania with &ldquo;loose security,&rdquo; according to whistleblower allegations. A gunman at the rally shot and wounded the former president, injured two attendees, as well as <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/15\/late-trump-rallygoer-was-a-real-life-superhero-who-took-a-bullet-to-protect-his-family\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">killed<\/a> firefighter and father Corey Comperatore.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;According to the allegations, the July 13 rally was considered to be a &lsquo;loose&rsquo; security event,&rdquo; Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., wrote in a Friday <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HawleyMO\/status\/1814278991605350726\/photo\/1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">letter<\/a> to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. &ldquo;[A]llegations suggest the majority of DHS officials were not in fact USSS [Secret Service] agents but instead drawn from the department&rsquo;s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Security was a &ldquo;stunning failure&rdquo; at Trump&rsquo;s Butler rally, Hawley wrote. Citing whistleblower allegations, he said agents did not use K-9 detection, did not maintain proper security near the podium or rally perimeter, and allowed unauthorized people into &ldquo;backstage areas.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Allegations claimed the HSI agents staffing the rally were &ldquo;unfamiliar with standard protocols typically used,&rdquo; according to Hawley.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;DHS assigned unprepared and inexperienced personnel,&rdquo; Hawley <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HawleyMO\/status\/1814278991605350726\/photo\/1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">posted<\/a> on X.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Hawley wrote Mayorkas that DHS had not been &ldquo;appropriately forthcoming with members of Congress,&rdquo; citing a Secret Service call that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/secret-service-check-box-senate-briefing-leaves-questions-infuriating\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ended<\/a> &ldquo;abruptly&rdquo; &ldquo;before most Senators could even ask a question.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This is completely unacceptable and contrary to the public&rsquo;s interest in transparency,&rdquo; Hawley wrote in the letter. &ldquo;We have learned more from whistleblowers than your department&rsquo;s officials. I will continue to protect the anonymity and confidentiality of all who contact my office.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Hawley said his office aims to &ldquo;continue&rdquo; its investigation. He asked Mayorkas a list of questions, including what percentage of agents staffing the rally were from HSI or DHS rather than from the Secret Service, if gaps existed in the security perimeter, and how <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/whistleblowers-claim-trumps-butler-rally-had-lax-security\/\" title=\"Whistleblowers claim Trump&#039;s Butler Rally had lax security\">long agents spent surveying<\/a> the area beforehand.<\/p>\n<p>Trump&rsquo;s would-be assassin reportedly <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/19\/report-trump-rally-assassin-hid-gun-on-site-before-the-event\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">hid<\/a> a gun at the rally site before the event.<\/p>\n<h2>Security Lapses<\/h2>\n<p>The House Judiciary Committee <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JudiciaryGOP\/status\/1813997424362606762\/photo\/1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">wrote<\/a> FBI Director Christopher Wray Thursday, saying &ldquo;[l]aw enforcement overlooked a number of vulnerabilities prior to and during&rdquo; the rally.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The Secret Service held two briefings on July 8 with &ldquo;stakeholders&rdquo; including FBI staff to discuss security being stretched between the Trump rally, a nearby First Lady Jill Biden event, and a North Atlantic Treaty Organization meeting in Washington, D.C, according to the letter.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Secret Service Spokesman Anthony Guglielmi, the Monday after the assassination attempt, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SecretSvcSpox\/status\/1812676305860645158\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">denied<\/a> that &ldquo;resources were diverted&rdquo; from Trump.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The committee has several unanswered questions about the failures that led to the attempted assassination of a president &mdash; the first in over forty years,&rdquo; the letter from the House Judiciary Committee <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JudiciaryGOP\/status\/1813997424362606762\/photo\/1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reads<\/a>, &ldquo;as well as the FBI&rsquo;s ability to conduct a rapid, transparent, and thorough investigation in the wake of its recent scandals.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Trump&rsquo;s security detail had reportedly been <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/13\/democrats-started-trying-to-strip-trumps-secret-service-protection-just-months-before-shooting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">asking<\/a> for increased resources for weeks before the rally, only to be denied by the Department of Homeland Security. Guglielmi also <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SecretSvcSpox\/status\/1812451649387933912\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">claimed<\/a> this was false.<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>At the rally, officials <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/16\/bidens-team-deliberately-kneecapped-trumps-security-to-allow-an-assassination-attempt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">drew<\/a> the security perimeter to exclude the building the would-be assassin used. They left a <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/16\/bidens-team-deliberately-kneecapped-trumps-security-to-allow-an-assassination-attempt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">clear<\/a> line of sight from the rooftop to Trump.<\/p>\n<p>Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle said officials did not place snipers on the shooter&rsquo;s roof because it was &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/16\/secret-service-director-we-didnt-put-snipers-on-the-roof-because-it-was-kind-of-sloped\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sloped<\/a>.&rdquo; But the shooter&rsquo;s roof was <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/17\/any-roofer-worth-his-salt-knows-secret-services-sloped-roof-excuse-is-nonsense\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">nearly flat<\/a>, easily <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/07\/14\/us-news\/horrifying-video-shows-would-be-assassin-open-fire-on-former-president-trump-from-rooftop\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">navigable<\/a> for law enforcement after the rally. Counter-snipers at the same rally were stationed on a roof with a more significant slope.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Police reportedly <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/17\/local-police-told-secret-service-they-didnt-have-manpower-to-secure-building-used-by-trumps-would-be-assassin\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">told<\/a> the Secret Service beforehand they did not have enough &ldquo;manpower&rdquo; to secure the building from which the shooter fired. A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/charges-dropped-against-british-street-preacher-accused-of-hate-speech\/\" title=\"Charges Dropped Against British Street Preacher Accused Of \u2018Hate Speech\u2019\">police officer reportedly<\/a> saw the shooter with a rangefinder and backpack before the attempted assassination and <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/16\/report-three-counter-snipers-were-in-building-trump-shooter-used-took-photos-of-him\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a> this to a &ldquo;command center.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Secret Service agents &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/US\/trump-assassination-attempt-investigation-continues-new-details\/story?id=112020474\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">spotted<\/a>&rdquo; the shooter on the roof 20 minutes before the assassination attempt, according to ABC News. Rally attendees also saw the shooter before shots were fired, pointing and <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FunkerActual\/status\/1812652950143086723\/video\/1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">shouting<\/a> to nearby law enforcement.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>When a bullet <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MarioNawfal\/status\/1813626264957440282\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">grazed<\/a> Trump&rsquo;s right ear, he ducked and Secret Service agents <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CollinRugg\/status\/1813684681923281094\/video\/1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">dove<\/a> on top of him. They ushered him to his vehicle, leaving his head unprotected. One female agent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news.com.au\/world\/north-america\/shooting-at-trump-rally-in-pennsylvania\/video\/4bf8228ebfe28a3a921393bb2b0cc1cb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">fumbled<\/a> with her holster, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/CollinRugg\/status\/1813684681923281094\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">another<\/a> seemed to be stumbling back and forth, and another lost her sunglasses and put them back on.<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/17\/grassley-launches-probe-into-monumental-security-failure-by-secret-service\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">announced<\/a> an investigation Wednesday into the &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/secret-service-director-declines-to-step-down\/\" title=\"Secret Service Director declines to step down\">monumental security failure&#038;rdquo<\/a>; that allowed the assassination attempt. He sent letters to the Secret Service, DHS, DHS Office of Inspector General, Department of Justice, and FBI calling the current lack of information &ldquo;unacceptable.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Cheatle <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/18\/secret-service-director-refuses-resign-continuity-operations-enabled-trump-assassin\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ran away<\/a> from questions posed by Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn, and Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., on Wednesday at the Republican National Convention.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Chair of the House Oversight Committee James Comer, R-Ky., issued a <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/18\/secret-service-director-refuses-resign-continuity-operations-enabled-trump-assassin\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">subpoena<\/a> Wednesday for Cheatle to show up to a July 22 hearing regarding the assassination attempt.<\/p>\n<p>Cheatle <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/gopoversight\/status\/1814325460765135021?s=12&amp;t=RABm2Gz68BHEGRR9ZartiA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">confirmed<\/a> Friday she will attend the hearing.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Logan Washburn is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lawsuit-clark-county-keeps-commercial-addresses-on-voter-rolls\/\" title=\"Lawsuit: Clark County Keeps Commercial Addresses On Voter Rolls\">staff writer covering election integrity<\/a>. He graduated from Hillsdale College, served as Christopher Rufo&#8217;s editorial assistant, and has bylines in The Wall Street Journal, The Tennessean, and The Daily Caller. Logan is originally from Central Oregon but now lives in rural Michigan.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Whistleblower allegations suggest that federal officials planned former President Donald Trump&#8217;s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania with inadequate security measures. The rally resulted in a shooting that wounded the former president, injured two attendees, and killed firefighter Corey Comperatore. Senator Josh Hawley criticized the security lapses at the rally, citing allegations that the majority of Department of Homeland Security officials present were not Secret Service agents but Homeland Security Investigations agents who were unfamiliar with standard security protocols. Hawley accused DHS of not being transparent with Congress and vowed to continue investigating the incident. The House Judiciary Committee also raised concerns about security failures at the rally and the FBI&#8217;s handling of the investigation. Despite requests for increased security resources, officials failed to prevent the shooting and left vulnerabilities that allowed the would-be assassin to hide a gun at the rally site. Senator Chuck Grassley announced an investigation into the security failure, and Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle faced scrutiny for her handling of the incident<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":507,"featured_media":2303951,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/image-20-e1595251543386.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[35617,3634,14982],"class_list":["post-2303950","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","tag-butler-rally","tag-trump","tag-whistleblowers"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/image-20-e1595251543386.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2303950","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/507"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2303950"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2303950\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2303951"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2303950"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2303950"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2303950"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}