Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) demanded that the Secret Service’s “inexperienced” lead site agent at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13 be suspended.
In a letter addressed to Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe on Monday, Hawley wrote that several whistleblowers had told his office that the “lead site agent” at Trump’s rally in Butler had lacked “competence and experience in the role” and “made decisions that likely compromised the overall security” that day.
Hawley added that the allegations from the whistleblowers were “especially alarming” because Rowe had previously stated that the agent was “still operational” in the field.
“New whistleblower allegations to my office directly question decisions made by Secret Service’s lead site agent principally responsible for securing the July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania,” Hawley said in his letter. “These allegations suggest that the lead site agent failed to implement appropriate security protocols.”
“This is especially alarming because during your testimony on July 30, you stated that this agent was ‘still operational…They’re still doing protective visits,’” Hawley added.
🚨🚨 NEW – Whistleblowers tell me the lead site agent in charge of the Butler rally was known to be inexperienced, ineffective and not up to the job – and on the day failed to implement basic security protocols – yet this person is STILL on active duty. Why? 👇 pic.twitter.com/EhfUSCvnJ0
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) August 6, 2024
Hawley explained that one whistleblower had told his office that the lead site agent was “well-known in campaign circles as lacking competence and experience in the role”:
One whistleblower with direct knowledge of the event alleges to my office that this lead site agent was well-known in campaign circles as lacking competence and experience in the role. This specific allegation follows similar public reports that this agent was “new” to the local field office and had “relatively little experience.” The whistleblower alleges that this individual was, as part of securing the site, specifically responsible for line-of-sight concerns.
The Missouri senator added that another whistleblower claimed to his office that the “lead site agent personally made decisions that likely compromised the overall security of the event” and noted that “material such as flags” were set up around the stage or the catwalk “despite the fact” that they can impact the “line-of-sight” for agents.
“A separate whistleblower has disclosed to my office that the lead site agent personally made decisions that likely compromised the overall security of the event,” Hawley wrote:
First, campaign material such as flags were permitted to be placed around the stage and catwalk used by the former president, despite the fact that these items were typically prohibited because of how they affected the line-of sight of those agents responsible for identifying threats.
Hawley added that the whistleblower had alleged that the Secret Service “did not check IDs when issuing credentials that authorize access to restricted areas of the site” and that Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents had allegedly “told campaign officials that they had never staffed a rally.”
“I urge you to suspend the lead site agent from all Secret Service duties immediately while these claims are investigated,” Hawley continued.
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Committee on Oversight and Accountability