Whistleblowers: Secret Service Lacked Resources Before Same-Day Trump Rally and Jill Biden Event

U.S. Secret Service agents respond as Republican presidential candidate former President D
AP Photo/Evan Vucci

Whistleblowers have told the House Judiciary Committee that the Secret Service led briefings on July 8, 2024, to discuss the upcoming rally for former President Donald Trump and another event in the same state on the same day — July 13, 2024 — for Jill Biden, and that a Secret Service official had said the agency already had “limited resources” that week.

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) made the disclosure in a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray on Thursday, noting that at the briefings with the Western Pennsylvania Fusion Center (WPFC), United States Secret Service (USSS) Special Agent in Charge Tim Burke reportedly told law enforcement partners that the USSS had limited resources that week due to the agency covering the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Washington, DC.

Jordan asked Wray, “Was the security posture at President Trump’s event limited due to resource constraints with the NATO Summit and/or First Lady Dr. Jill Biden’s event in Pittsburgh?”

According to a White House media advisory, Biden was scheduled to arrive at the Pittsburgh International Airport in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at 4:00 p.m. and then at 5:00 p.m. was scheduled to deliver remarks at an Italian Sons and Daughters of America dinner in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Trump was scheduled to begin speaking at 5:00 p.m., but he ended up taking the stage at 6:02 p.m. About nine minutes later, the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, opened fire at Trump, wounding him in the ear.

Jordan said while the FBI is one of many agencies represented in the WPFC, it is the lead federal investigative arm and a key source of intelligence on potential threats for special events in its area of responsibility. He noted that the FBI is also investigating the assassination attempt.

Given those roles, Jordan — whose committee conducts oversight of the FBI — is requesting answers from the agency, after the nearly-successful attempt that almost killed Trump, killed innocent rally-goer Corey Comperatore, and injured two other rally-goers.

Jordan is asking Wray to answer the following before July 23:

  1. How many agents, analysts, and support personnel has the FBI dedicated to the investigation?
  2. Was there coordination between the FBI, USSS, and the WPFC prior to President Trump’s event on July 13?
  3. How many buildings had to be secured inside and outside of the security perimeter for President Trump’s event on July 13?
  4. Why was the roof of the AGR International building left unsecured?
  5. How much time elapsed between identifying the shooter as a potential threat and the attempted assassination?
  6. How much time elapsed between the local police officer encountering the shooter on the sloped roof and the attempted assassination?
  7. Has the FBI interviewed the local police officer who encountered the shooter?
  8. What does the FBI’s evaluation of the shooter’s phone and digital activity show about his actions and movements in the days and hours leading up to the attempted assassination?
  9. Is the FBI’s investigation limited to the shooter and his motivations or does it include the security failures that led to the attempted assassination?
  10. Was the security posture at President Trump’s event limited due to resource constraints with the NATO Summit and/or First Lady Dr. Jill Biden’s event in Pittsburgh?
  11. How did communications breakdowns between various law enforcement entities affect the ability of local law enforcement and USSS to identify the shooter as a potential threat and mitigate the threat before he took action?
  12. What actions did the USSS take to remove or cover President Trump after a threat was known or detected?

In addition, to advance our oversight, please provide the following documents and information:

  1. All FBI reports, analyses, or threat assessments conducted or prepared referring or relating to President Trump’s event on July 13, 2024;
  2. All documents and communications between or among personnel at the WPFC and the FBI regarding President Trump’s event, including but not limited to, any requests for additional analytic resources made by the WPFC;
  3. All documents and communications between the FBI and USSS regarding President Trump’s event on July 13; and
  4. All FD-1023s and FD-302s, of confidential human source reporting, and review of pending and closed domestic terrorism investigations in the Pittsburgh area for potential threat intelligence directed at President Trump’s event on July 13.

Jordan has asked for the material as soon as possible before July 23, 2024.

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