On Thursday, Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) dropped a bombshell, revealing that a whistleblower has claimed the U.S. Secret Service turned down offers from local law enforcement to use drone technology ahead of a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The event, which was for former President Donald Trump, later became the site of an assassination attempt by gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks.
The senator’s office received allegations indicating that the Secret Service repeatedly refused the use of drones the night before the rally. In a scathing letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, Hawley demanded answers and transparency after this critical security failure.
This revelation came just a day after FBI Director Christopher Wray testified that Crooks had used a drone to survey the rally site hours before the attack. “This technology was not only available but was also capable of being deployed to secure the site,” wrote Hawley. Despite this, the Secret Service declined the offers, only to request drone deployment after the shooting.
“This means that the technology was both available to USSS and able to be deployed to secure the site,” Hawley stated. “The failure to deploy drone technology is all the more concerning since, according to the whistleblower, the drones offered had the capability not only to identify active shooters but also to help neutralize them.”
Hawley questioned, “Why was the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) not using its own drones?” highlighting the dire consequences of refusing external help. He demanded that the Department of Homeland Security provide “all records and communications concerning the availability or use of drones at the July 13, 2024 rally in Butler, PA.” Additionally, he insisted that Secretary Mayorkas testify before Congress to address these “staggering security failures.”
The near-fatal incident on July 13 saw Trump narrowly avoid a bullet as he turned slightly to read a chart. The shot, fired by 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks’ AR-15-style rifle, tragically killed Corey Comperatore, a former firefighter chief, who heroically shielded his family. Two other bystanders were critically injured.
New legislation has since been introduced, mandating the Director of National Intelligence, the FBI, and the Secretary of Homeland Security to declassify crucial information related to the assassination attempt and the shooter’s motives. Hawley plans to introduce the “Trump Assassination Attempt Transparency Act,” aimed at forcing the federal government to declassify all details about the incident.
“We need the truth about the assassination attempt against President Trump,” Hawley told Fox News. “We can’t let the federal government hide behind the ‘classified’ label. This investigation must be done out in the open for the American people to see – no more stonewalling, no more evading questions. Time for accountability.”
The bill requires intelligence agencies to compile and present a detailed report to Congress on their findings. If passed, this legislation could reveal layers of secrecy surrounding national security incidents and potentially reform how intelligence is handled and shared at the highest levels. The aftermath of the assassination attempt led to the resignation of Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, who stepped down just a day after facing bipartisan fury during her testimony before the House Oversight Committee.
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