In the wake of the recent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, scandals have erupted around the U.S. Secret Service.
On Thursday, House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan pressed FBI Director Christopher Wray for answers after Secret Service whistleblowers came forward to him about resource constraints.
Jordan sent a detailed letter to Wray, demanding answers on the security failures that led to the incident.
The whistleblowers told Jordan that the Secret Service had limited resources due to multiple high-profile events: the NATO summit in Washington, D.C., and First Lady Jill Biden’s campaign rally in Pittsburgh.
This shortage impacted the security measures at Trump’s campaign event on July 13, where the assassination attempt occurred.
In his letter, Jordan poses a series of pointed questions to the FBI Director:
- How many agents, analysts, and support personnel has the FBI dedicated to the investigation?
- Was there coordination between the FBI, USSS, and the WPFC prior to President Trump’s event on July 13?
- How many buildings had to be secured inside and outside of the security perimeter for President Trump’s event on July 13?
- Why was the roof of the AGR International building left unsecured?
- How much time elapsed between identifying the shooter as a potential threat and the attempted assassination?
- How much time elapsed between the local police officer encountering the shooter on the sloped roof and the attempted assassination?
- Has the FBI interviewed the local police officer who encountered the shooter?
- 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?
- 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?
- 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?
- 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?
- What actions did the USSS take to remove or cover President Trump after a threat was known or detected?
Jordan is also demanding all relevant FBI reports, communications between agencies, and confidential human source reporting related to the event. He’s set a deadline of 5:00 p.m. on July 23 for the FBI to provide this information, ahead of Wray’s scheduled testimony on July 24.
If the whistleblowers are belived, the U.S. Secret Service is unable to handle the complex demands of resource allocation, inter-agency coordination, and threat assessment in the high-profile 2024 presidential campaign.
Supporters hope Jordan’s investigation may shed light on potential systemic issues in federal law enforcement and security protocols.
The answers to these questions could have far-reaching implications for future security arrangements — and save lives.
Tthe FBI and Secret Service have yet to respond publicly to Jordan’s letter.