Pittsburgh – Sen. Josh Hawley cited a new whistleblower who said local law enforcement repeatedly offered to provide drone coverage over former President Donald Trump’s July 13 campaign rally — He survived a failed assassination attempt – but was turned down by the U.S. Secret Service.
“According to a whistleblower, the U.S. Secret Service repeatedly rejected offers from local law enforcement partners to use drone technology to secure the rally the night before,” said Hawley, a Missouri Republican and a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. proposal.
“This means the U.S. Marine Corps could both use the technology and deploy it to protect the site. The Secret Service declined.”
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Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents during a campaign rally on Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
FBI Director Christopher Wray, who played a leading role in the investigation, confirmed at a congressional hearing this week that the would-be assassin, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks Crooks flew a drone overhead before Trump took office.
“This raises an obvious question: Why doesn’t the United States Secret Service (USSS) use its own drones?” Hawley wrote.
An aerial view of Butler Farm, where former President Donald Trump held a campaign rally on July 13. Multiple investigations of major security breaches. (Fox News)
The Marines did not ask a local partner to fly the drone until after the shooting was over and a counter-sniper shot down the gunman, according to the whistleblower.
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Grainy cellphone video shows the perspective of a rallygoer as Thomas Matthew Crooks climbed on a rooftop before trying to assassinate former President Donald Trump. (DJ laughs)
“The whistleblower further claimed that after the shooting, the Marines changed course and asked local partners to deploy drone technology to monitor the scene in the aftermath of the attack,” Hawley wrote.
The senator demanded that Mayorkas turn over all Department of Homeland Security communications regarding drone coverage of the rally as part of a congressional investigation into security lapses that allowed an armed man to come within 150 yards of the former president.
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“It is difficult to understand why the USSA refused to use drones when offered, especially given that the USSA allowed the gunman to fly his own drone over the rally area hours before the event,” he wrote. “The failure to deploy drone technology is even more concerning because, according to whistleblowers, the U.S. Navy is providing drones that are capable of not only identifying active shooters but also helping to neutralize them.”
The U.S. Secret Service returned fire after an apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, before authorities approached the gunman from where he fell to the ground. (Obtained by Fox News Digital Channel)
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Crooks struck at least four people with AR-15 shots from a rooftop, killing Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old father of two, and seriously injuring 57-year-old David David Dutch and 74-year-old James Copenhaver. Blood.
Crooks is believed to have surrounded the rally venue before the attack and was carrying multiple explosive devices that authorities recovered from his car.
Bill Gage, a retired Secret Service agent and consultant with the Safehaven security group, said it’s not surprising that local authorities are being rebuffed on the drone issue.
On July 13, 2024, Republican candidate Donald Trump was shot during a campaign event at the Butler Farm Show Company in Butler, Pennsylvania, and blood was seen in the stands. (Rebecca Drock/AFP Getty Images)
“The whistleblower will be local law enforcement, and the U.S. Marine Corps will never allow a non-U.S. Marine Corps drone,” experts active shooter Fox News Digital responded.
He said there were “too many questions,” including drone specifications, federal flight rules and operator and observer training.
“The protection model used by the U.S. Marine Corps needs to be seriously rethought,” he said. “The model is sound and proven, but how local assets adapt needs to be reassessed.”
Kimberly Cheatle, then Director of the U.S. Secret Service, testifies before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee during a hearing in the House Office Building in Rayburn, Washington, D.C., on July 22, 2024. (Kent West Village/Getty Images)
Previous tipsters also provided details about the incident to Hawley’s office, including an explanation for why the roof Crooks entered before opening fire was unattended.
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An officer assigned to the roof allegedly abandoned the roof due to the heat.
U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Chettle resigned after congressional testimony about the incident.
