Secret Service officials had repeatedly rejected former President Donald Trump’s request for additional security in the two years ahead of last weekend’s assassination attempt via NY Post.
It has been noted that the ex-president had asked for more agents and magnetometers at large public events he attended, as well as extra snipers for outdoor venues, four insiders told The Washington Post, which first reported the damning revelation.
Each request was shot down by senior officials who claimed the agency lacked the resources Trump was asking for, the outlet reported.
Secret Service agents, along with local law enforcement, were responsible for securing the rally when 20-year-old gunman Matthew Thomas Crooks opened fire at the Republican presidential nominee’s campaign outdoor rally in Pennsylvania last Saturday.
It has come to light that Crooks was lying on a rooftop 130 yards away from Trump when he shot as many as seven rounds, grazing the politician in the ear and killing an audience member who sat behind the stage. Two others were seriously injured.
Outrage at the security lapse led the federal security agency to up Trump’s detail to the same level as President Biden, The Post exclusively reported earlier this week.
The Secret Service initially denied claims that someone from Trump’s camp asked for more help ahead of the deadly shooting as “absolutely false.”
It has come to light that Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, who has faced mounting pressure to resign in the last week, doubled down on the denials in a meeting with Trump campaign leadership in Wisconsin on Monday, the insiders said.
After massive holes in the ex-president’s security team were revealed, however, the agency has changed its tune.
