REPORT: Secret Service Denied Trump Requests For Additional Security

The Washington Post is reporting that “top officials” with the Secret Service repeatedly denied requests for additional security made by former President Donald Trump’s security detail in the two years leading up to the attempt on his life in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13.

Agents attached to the former president’s security detail requested magnetometers, as well as additional Secret Service personnel in order to screen attendees at sporting events and other large gatherings, including rallies. Trump’s security detail also requested additional snipers and emergency response teams for outdoor events, according to four Secret Service sources who spoke with the Washington Post on condition of anonymity.

The requests — which had not been made public — were sometimes denied by senior officials with the Secret Service. Agency higher-ups cited a number of reasons when denying the requests, including lack resources and staff, the sources told the outlet.

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“Those rejections — in response to requests that were several times made in writing — led to long-standing tensions that pitted Trump, his top aides and his security detail against Secret Service leadership, as Trump advisers privately fretted that the vaunted security agency was not doing enough to protect the former president,” the Washington Post reported.

On the morning of July 14, less than 12 hours after the assassination attempt, Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi denied reports that Trump’s security detail had been refused when asking for extra help. “Theres an untrue assertion that a member of the former President’s team requested additional security resources & that those were rebuffed. This is absolutely false,” Guglielmi wrote in an X post. “In fact, we added protective resources & technology & capabilities as part of the increased campaign travel tempo.”

Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle — whose resignation has been called for by lawmakers in both major parties in the wake of the assassination attempt — repeated the denial in a meeting with Trump campaign leadership in Wisconsin on Monday, sources familiar with the meeting told the Washington Post.

After the outlet asked Guglielmi for comment on the reports, he stated that the agency had obtained additional information indicating that requests for assistance were indeed made by the former president’s security team. It is believed that these requests may have been denied by Secret Service headquarters, prompting a probe into the matter.

“The Secret Service has a vast, challenging, and intricate mission,” the agency spokesman said 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.”

A Secret Service official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, stated that the agency has been plagued by limited resources since a number of scandals during the Obama years. Shortages have had a significant effect when it comes to “competing demands” for high-level resources such as counter-sniper teams, as well as uniformed officers who assist with screening event attendees for weapons using magnetometers.

The agency is currently responsible for security details for more than two-dozen people, as well as a few others who receive what is known as “door-to-door” from the moment they leave their homes. After the attempt on Trump’s life, the Secret Service added a detail to protect independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., as well as Republican vice-presidential nominee Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH).

Bill Gage, a Secret Service veteran who served on protection and counter-assault teams under multiple presidential administrations, told the Washington Post that the agency has long been swamped by a large volume of protection requests while dealing with limited resources and staffing caps.

“I hate to dumb it down this much but it is a simple case of supply and demand. The requests get turned down routinely,” Gage said. “A director has to finally come forward to say we are way understaffed and we cannot possibly continue with this zero fail mission without a significantly bigger budget.”

The agency’s Office of Protective Operations reviews is tasked with reviewing security requests for events. The weekend of the Butler shooting, the Secret Service had sent multiple counter-sniper teams and hundreds of agents to the Republican National Convention, as well as an event for First Lady Jill Biden. The agency was also prepping for a planned trip to Austin by President Joe Biden.

“It’s just true — we don’t have the resources to secure him [Trump] like we did when he was president,” one anonymous official said.

In one example of a denied request, the agency turned down Trump’s security detail when they asked for additional resources to cover the former president’s massive rally in Pickens, South Carolina. The rally was of particular security concern due to the venue’s surroundings, which included several commercial and residential buildings. Sources familiar with the request told the Washington Post that Trump’s security team requested additional counter-snipers to be stationed on rooftops.

Sources told the Washington Post that the Pickens event was just one example of a denied request for additional tactical support.

“On multiple other occasions, Trump’s team asked for magnetometers and additional help to screen attendees for Trump to attend sporting events, particularly wrestling matches and college football games,” the outlet reported. These requests were denied since they did not involve official campaign events.

A number of lawmakers and pundits have called on Secret Service Director Cheatle to resign in the wake of the attempt on Trump’s life, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA).

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