A whistleblower informed Republican Senator Josh Hawley from Missouri that Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr. personally ordered reductions to the Counter Surveillance Division (CSD). These cuts allegedly led to the failure of the threat assessment team to perform its usual duties before the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Lawmakers have scrutinised agency leaders over the increasing security lapses at the Pennsylvania rally, where former President Trump narrowly avoided an assassination attempt. The whistleblower claimed that the CSD, responsible for assessing potential threats at event sites, did not carry out its evaluation before the rally in Western Pennsylvania on 13 July.
Senator Hawley stated in a letter to Rowe on Thursday that the CSD’s responsibilities include assessing potential security threats outside the security perimeter and mitigating those threats during events. The whistleblower asserted that if the CSD had conducted their standard operations, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks would have been detained in the parking area.
The whistleblower contended that CSD personnel, if present at the rally, would have apprehended the gunman, who was spotted with a rangefinder, in the parking lot. Hawley noted in his letter that Rowe admitted during Senate testimony that the American Glass Research complex should have been part of the security perimeter for the Butler event.
According to the whistleblower, the absence of the CSD in Butler resulted in this significant oversight not being identified or addressed. Hawley’s office further disclosed Rowe’s alleged involvement in reducing CSD staffing.
The whistleblower accused Rowe of personally directing substantial cuts to CSD, including a twenty percent reduction in manpower, which Rowe did not mention during Senate testimony when questioned about manpower reductions.
The whistleblower also claimed that Rowe contributed to a problematic culture within the organisation, where those who raised security concerns faced retaliation. Concerns were expressed about security during former President Trump’s events, particularly at a golf tournament in August last year. Secret Service personnel felt that local law enforcement was inadequately trained and unprepared for the event, and individuals were allowed entry without proper vetting.
The whistleblower alleged that those who voiced these concerns were retaliated against. Approximately 90 minutes passed between the initial identification of a suspicious person near the rally grounds and the subsequent sighting. Officials briefly lost track of the individual, but around 5:52 p.m., a sniper spotted Crooks, about 20 minutes before gunfire erupted.
Fox News Digital has contacted the Secret Service for a response.