Hawley says most of Trump’s security team were not Secret Service, according to whistleblowers

Whistleblowers from within the Department of Homeland Security have made shocking allegations about the security arrangements during former President Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. According to Republican Senator Josh Hawley from Missouri, the majority of the security detail present at the event were not even U.S. Secret Service agents.

In a public letter addressed to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, Senator Hawley outlined numerous security failures that occurred during the rally. He mentioned that individuals without proper designations were able to gain access to backstage areas, detection canines were not used in the usual manner, and there was a lack of personnel around the security perimeter.

One of the most concerning allegations was that most of the personnel protecting the former president were from the Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) unit, not the Secret Service. This raised significant concerns as HSI agents were reportedly unfamiliar with the standard security protocols for such events.

Senator Hawley criticized the DHS for not providing sufficient information about the incident to Congress and abruptly ending a briefing with the U.S. Secret Service before senators had the opportunity to ask questions. The lack of transparency and follow-up raised further red flags about the security lapses that occurred.

During a separate briefing on the recent assassination attempt against former President Trump, Senator Ron Johnson from Wisconsin highlighted the inadequacy of the information provided by the Secret Service. He noted that the briefing did not address key questions, and only a few senators were allowed to ask questions with no follow-ups provided.

In response to the whistleblowers’ claims, Senator Hawley’s letter demanded answers regarding the ratio of Secret Service to HSI agents present at the rally and the extent of pre-rally security investigations conducted. The serious security lapses highlighted in the allegations have raised concerns about the effectiveness of security measures during high-profile events involving prominent public figures.