The Secret Service’s explanation for security lapses that allowed a 20-year-old gunman to take multiple shots at former President Trump has continued to evolve, most recently with the agency acknowledging it had denied some requests by Trump’s team for additional security.
Revelations first reported by the Washington Post that the Secret Service denied repeated requests by Trump’s security detail were just the latest in an ever-evolving explanation by the agency, which initially pushed back hard on claims it had issued such denials.
"The assertion that a member of the former president’s security team requested additional security resources that the U.S. Secret Service or the Department of Homeland Security rebuffed is absolutely false," Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesman for the Secret Service, said the day after the attempt on Trump’s life.
But Guglielmi walked back that denial in response to the Washington Post, which reported that denials for more security for Trump had been an ongoing source of tension between his detail and headquarters for more than a year.
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"The Secret Service has a vast, challenging, and intricate mission," he told the Washington Post in a statement. "Every day we work in a dynamic threat environment to ensure our protectees are safe and secure across multiple events, travel, and other difficult environments. We execute a comprehensive and layered strategy to balance personnel, technology, and specialized operational needs."
Guglielmi explained that where the Secret Service might fall short of being able to provide resources, the agency typically leans on local and state law enforcement agencies to fill in the gaps.
"In some instances where specific Secret Service specialized units or resources were not provided, the agency made modifications to ensure the security of the protected," Guglielmi told Fox News Digital. "This may include utilizing state or local partners to provide specialized functions or otherwise identifying alternatives to reduce public exposure of a protectee."
The Secret Service has also offered other explanations for the failures at Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, with agency Director Kimberly Cheatle telling ABC news last week that the building the former president was shot from had a "sloped roof" that would have been dangerous for agents.
"That building in particular has a sloped roof at its highest point. And so, you know, there's a safety factor that would be considered there that we wouldn't want to put somebody up on a sloped roof. And so, you know, the decision was made to secure the building, from inside," she said.
Meanwhile, senators were told during a briefing on the incident last week that the Secret Service had flagged the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, as suspicious over an hour before he opened fire on Trump. The agency also revealed that a countersniper had spotted Crooks and flagged him as a potential threat 19 minutes before the shooting.
But the briefing left many senators frustrated, with many leaving the call and ripping the agency for a lack of transparency and failing to answer detailed questions.
"It’s infuriating," Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., told Fox News Digital after the briefing, noting that Cheatle had admitted "there were mistakes and gaffes" by the agency leading up to the shooting.
"This was kind of a check-the-box, quick briefing. Not providing information, only gives four senators an opportunity to ask questions... this is not providing the kind of information people need," Johnson added.
The evolving story and lack of transparency have led some lawmakers to call on Cheatle to resign, with Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, arguing that the "lapse" in security "requires a change in leadership" for the agency.
"The unexplained & inexcusable lapse in basic security measures requires a change in leadership at the Secret Service," Cornyn said in a post on X last week.
