Secret Service officials denied multiple requests for extra resources from Donald Trump’s security team over the past two years before he was wounded in an assassination attempt last week.
Four people familiar with the requests say the former president asked for magnetometers and more agents to screen participants at large gatherings.
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Trump’s team has also asked for more snipers and specialized teams at other public events, the report said. Wall Street Journal.
The requests, which were not previously communicated, were sometimes denied by senior agency officials for various reasons, including lack of resources due to low staffing, which the agency has struggled with for years.
As a result, long-standing tension was created between Trump, his advisers and security elements against the leadership of the Secret Service.
Trump’s advisers argued privately that the agency was not doing enough to protect the former president.
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The Secret Service initially denied turning down the requests, but the agency has now acknowledged that some were rejected.
This comes as agency veterans say the organization has had to make difficult decisions with limited funding and a growing list of individuals in need of protection.
Thomas Crooks, 20, opened fire at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, from a rooftop about 500 feet from Trump.
The former president was injured along with two other people and a rally participant was killed.
Since then, the agency has faced criticism for alleged failures during the incident.
An agency spokesperson publicly denied that it denied requests from Trump’s team, causing more conflict between the two parties.
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, who faced calls to resign over lapses at the rally, also denied rejecting the request.
“The claim that a member of the former president’s security team requested additional security resources that the U.S. Secret Service or Department of Homeland Security rejected is absolutely false,” Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement. communicated.
US Sun has reached out to the Secret Service for comment.
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