2024-07-22 10:05:47
A Secret Service spokesman said in a statement Saturday that the agency had previously withheld certain resources but instead provided other security measures, including from local partners.
The news comes amid widespread concern over how a sniper gained access to a roof about 150 meters from Trump’s position during an outdoor rally in Butler, Pennsylvania last week.
The Washington Post and The New York Times reported earlier Saturday that the Secret Service had rejected previous requests from Trump’s security team over the past two years.
Some people close to the former president believed that the decisions, which they believed were personally related to Trump, came from the top officials of the agency.
While Trump maintains a close relationship with his Secret Service members, relations between these agents and the agency’s upper echelons have been strained for some time, according to several sources familiar with the dynamic.
In response to CNN’s questions about whether the Secret Service has denied additional security requests, a Secret Service spokesman said the agency makes “changes” when certain resources are withheld from protected individuals.
“In some cases where specific specialized Secret Service units or resources were not available, the agency made adjustments to ensure the safety of the protected individual,” Secret Service Communications Director Anthony Guglielmi wrote in a statement. – This may include using state or local partners to perform specialized functions or identifying other alternatives to reduce the protected person’s impact on the public.”
The day after the shooting, A. Guglielmi said in a statement that the claims that D. Trump was denied additional security requests specifically related to the rally in Pennsylvania are not true.
“This is absolutely untrue. In fact, as the pace of campaign travel increased, we added security resources and technologies and capabilities,” A. Guglielmi wrote on the X social network at the time.
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle is facing a barrage of questions about how the shooter was able to target Trump at the rally, and members of Congress, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, have called for her to resign.
Mr. Cheatle is likely to face questions about those issues when he testifies before several congressional committees this week about the security lapses that led to the assassination attempt.
Prepared by CNN.
2024-07-22 10:05:47