In a recent interview with Fox News' Jesse Watters, Senator Josh Hawley unveiled startling details about the security arrangements for the former President Donald Trump during the Butler rally assassination attempt in 2024.
According to Hawley, the security detail assigned to Trump was not composed of Secret Service agents, as one might expect, but rather Homeland Security agents.
As reported by The Post Millennial, Hawley disclosed that the majority of these Homeland Security agents had been hastily reassigned from child exploitation cases to protect the former President. Their preparation for this critical task was limited to a two-hour online webinar, which was plagued by technical issues. "And get this, most of those Homeland Security agents, the only training that they received was an online webinar, a two-hour online webinar, and Im told that about half the time the sound to the webinar didnt even work," Hawley stated.
The Senator expressed his outrage at the situation, emphasizing the gravity of the security lapse. "So think about this, the President of the United States, former President of the United States, Donald Trump, is sent out on stage. Most of the people there arent trained. Theyre not qualified. They only got a webinar training, and even that didnt work. It is absolutely outrageous," he said.
Hawley further explained that these agents were abruptly pulled from their usual duties to guard Trump, despite having no prior experience in such roles. "They were pulled off those cases, said 'here, youre going to go guard the former President of the United States, watch this webinar. Oops, it doesnt really work. Thats alright. Go out into the field anyway.' Jesse, this is a nightmare and we still have no answers," he lamented.
The Butler rally, held on July 13, turned tragic when 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire on the stage, injuring Trump and critically wounding two others. Corey Comperatore, a father and former fire chief, was killed while attempting to protect his family from the gunfire. The incident led to the resignation of the then United States Secret Service head Kimberly Cheatle, and several agents from the USSS Pittsburgh Field Office were subsequently placed on leave.
In a subsequent revelation in August, it was discovered that Crooks had practiced shooting at the Clairton Sportsmens Club in Pennsylvania, with DHS members training at the same facility the following day. This incident raises serious questions about the security measures in place for high-profile individuals and the training provided to those entrusted with their protection.
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