LEAK: Secret Service Denied Repeated Requests From Worried Agents on Trump’s Security Detail Seeking Beefed Up Protection at Public Events

🚨🚨SCOOP --- Before a gunman got close to killing Donald Trump at a Pa. rally, the @SecretService denied repeated requests from worried agents on Trump's security detail seeking more protection for him at other events. The Secret Service and director had earlier claimed to…

— Carol Leonnig (@CarolLeonnig) July 20, 2024

“Top officials at the US Secret Service repeatedly denied requests for additional resources and personnel sought by Donald Trump’s security detail in the two years leading up to his attempted assassination at a rally in Pennsylvania last Saturday, according to four people familiar with the requests.

Agents charged with protecting the former president requested magnetometers and more agents to screen attendees at sporting events and other large public gatherings Trump attended, as well as additional snipers and specialty teams at other outdoor events, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive security discussions. The requests, which have not been previously reported, were sometimes denied by senior officials at the agency, who cited various reasons, including a lack of resources at an agency that has long struggled with staffing shortages, they said.

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.

After repeatedly denying the story was true, Guglielmi admitted to the Washington Post that Trump was indeed denied beefed up protection.

“After receiving detailed questions from The Washington Post, Guglielmi said the agency had learned new information indicating the agency’s headquarters may have in fact denied some requests for additional security from Trump’s detail and was reviewing documentation to understand the specific interactions better,” The Washington Post reported.

“The Secret Service has a vast, challenging, and intricate mission,” Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement to WaPo. “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.” 

GRTWT.