Secret Service Admits It Refused Some Trump Campaign Security Requests

REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. (AP) — The Secret Service has acknowledged it rejected some requests from Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's campaign for increased security at its events in the years before the assassination attempt on him at a recent rally.

In the aftermath of the July 13 attack, law enforcement denied rejecting such requests. But the Secret Service acknowledged Saturday night, a week after the attack, that it had refused some requests to bolster security around the former president.

The reversal is likely to be a major topic at a congressional hearing Monday, where Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle is expected to appear before lawmakers who have expressed anger over security failures that allowed a 20-year-old gunman to climb onto the roof of a nearby building during Trump's rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and fire his weapon.

Trump was shot in the right ear, one rallygoer was killed and two others were injured. Secret Service gunmen shot the shooter dead.

The Secret Service has a vast, dynamic and complex mission. Every day, we work in a dynamic threat environment to ensure the safety of our charges during multiple events, travel and other challenging environments, the agency’s chief spokesman, Anthony Guglielmi, said in a statement released Saturday night to The Washington Post. The newspaper was first to report the agency’s reversal, which it said was based on detailed questions submitted to the agency.

“We are implementing a comprehensive, multi-layered strategy to balance people, technology and specialized operational needs,” Guglielmi said.

He said the agency will rely on state and local police departments in some cases where specialized Secret Service units are not available.

In some cases where specific Secret Service units or specialized resources were not provided, the agency made modifications to ensure the safety of the protected person, Gugliemi said. This may include using state or local partners to provide specialized functions or identifying other solutions to reduce a protected person’s public exposure.

After the assassination attempt, as reports began to circulate that the agency had rejected the Trump campaign's requests, Guglielmi issued a denial.

“There is a false claim that a member of the former president’s team requested additional security resources and that they were denied,” Gugliemi said in a social media post. “That is absolutely false. In fact, we have added resources, technology and security capabilities as part of the increased pace of campaign travel.”

What you need to know about the 2024 elections

Read the latest news: Follow AP’s live coverage of this year’s election. Democracy: American democracy has weathered major stress tests since 2020. More challenges lie ahead in 2024. AP’s role: The Associated Press is the most trusted source of news on election night, with a history of accuracy dating back to 1848. Learn more. Stay informed. Stay on top of breaking news with email alerts. Sign up here.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas called what happened a failure, while several lawmakers called on Cheatle to resign or be fired. The Secret Service has said Cheatle has no plans to resign, and so far she retains the support of Democratic President Joe Biden and Mayorkas.

But the agency's acknowledgement that it had rejected some campaign requests drew fresh condemnation on Sunday.

House Speaker Mike Johnson told CNN in his State of the Union address that the recognition was simply unacceptable. Of Cheatle, he said, “she has a lot to be ashamed of.”

Johnson said lawmakers would release details Monday about a bipartisan congressional task force that will investigate the Secret Service.

Trump's son Eric Trump said Cheatle should resign in absolute disgrace.

The fact that she's still in her position is worrisome, he said on Fox News Sunday Morning Futures,

Biden, who is campaigning to prevent Trump from running for a second term in the White House, has ordered an independent investigation. The Department of Homeland Security and a congressional committee are also investigating the matter.

Trump said he had no indication that law enforcement had identified a suspicious person when the former president took the stage in Pennsylvania. Some rally attendees said in interviews after the assassination attempt that they saw the gunman on the roof before Trump took the stage and alerted law enforcement there.

In an interview with Fox News anchor Jesse Waters that will air Monday, Trump said: “No, nobody talked about it, nobody said there was a problem until he got on stage and a gunman opened fire. They could have said, 'Let's wait 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 5 minutes, something.' Nobody said anything. I think that was a mistake.”

Trump also questioned security breaches and how the shooter was able to access the building's roof.

How did someone get on that roof? And why wasn't he reported? Because people saw he was on the roof, Trump said. So you would think someone would have done something about it.

Local law enforcement had seen the man and deemed him suspicious enough to release his photo, and witnesses reported seeing him scale the building.

The Trump campaign and the White House did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment.

–

Associated Press writer Jill Colvin in New York contributed to this report.

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos