A whistleblower claims that the Trump campaign was “effectively forced” to “cancel” an event in Wisconsin due to the Secret Service not having “sufficient assets to secure” the rally.
In a letter addressed to Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) questioned “recent public statements” made by Rowe regarding the level of protection Trump was receiving from the agency in light of the whistleblower allegations.
Hawley went on to question whether the Secret Service ever informed former President Donald Trump, “his campaign, or any related business entities” that the agency was unable to “secure a rally” held in Wisconsin and questioned whether President Joe Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris had been told the Secret Service was unable to “secure a campaign event” for them.
“I write concerning new whistleblower allegations that the U.S. Secret Service effectively forced the Trump campaign to cancel an upcoming event in Wisconsin,” Hawley wrote. “This new information calls into question your recent public statements regarding the level of security your agency is providing to the former president. It also suggests that the Secret Service’s inability to fully protect former President Trump may be affecting the conduct of the presidential campaign.”
Hawley pointed out that during a press conference on September 20, Rowe had claimed that Trump was getting “the highest level of Secret Service protection”:
At your recent press conference on September 20, you stated that former President Trump is receiving “the highest level of Secret Service protection” and “he’s getting everything” that “the current president has with respect to Secret Service assets.” That same night, Secret Service secured a rally for Vice President Harris in Madison, Wisconsin.
Hawley added that despite these claims, the whistleblower alleged that the Trump campaign had been informed by the Secret Service that the agency “did not have sufficient assets to secure a potential campaign rally in Wisconsin” for Donald Trump.
“Other whistleblowers with knowledge of Secret Service planning protocols allege that failure to provide protection for a major public event is highly unusual and that a sitting president would never be denied resources in this way,” Hawley continued.
The letter from Hawley comes as the United States Senate unanimously passed a bill to strengthen Secret Service protection for presidential candidates, a week after a second assassination attempt on Trump.