Josh Hawley: Whistleblower Reveals Secret Service Declined Drone Support Offer from Local Law Enforcement Prior to Rally

Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) has sent a letter to Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas of the Department of Homeland Security, highlighting new allegations from a whistleblower regarding the security measures taken at former President Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024.

In his letter, Hawley states:

“Dear Secretary Mayorkas, Since I last wrote to you on July 22, my office has received new whistleblower allegations that further call into question your department’s preparations. The American people deserve answers about your historic failure to protect former President Trump on July 13, 2024.”

According to FBI Director Christopher Wray’s recent testimony to Congress, the assailant used a drone to survey the rally site in preparation for his attack.

Chris Wray said this:

• The Crooks flew a drone around the rally area at 4 PM for 11 minutes; Trump took the stage around 6 p.m.
• The drone was about 200 yards from the stage. And the Secret Service did nothing! This was after the assassin was allowed to bring a range finder into the rally with him.

This raises an essential question: why wasn’t the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) using its own drones, according to Hawley.

“The whistleblower alleges that the USSS repeatedly declined offers from local law enforcement to utilize drone technology to secure the rally. They claim that after the shooting took place, the USSS reversed course and requested local law enforcement to deploy their drone technology to surveil the site in the aftermath of the attack.

According to one whistleblower, the night before the rally, U.S. Secret Service repeatedly denied offers from a local law enforcement partner to utilize drone technology to secure the rally. This means that the technology was both available to USSS and able to be deployed to secure the site. Secret Service said no.

The whistleblower further alleges that after the shooting took place, USSS changed course and asked the local partner to deploy the drone technology to surveil the site in the aftermath of the attack.

It is hard to understand why USSS would decline to use drones when they were offered, particularly given the fact USSS permitted the shooter to overfly the rally area with his own drone mere hours before event.”

The whistleblower further alleges that the drones offered by local law enforcement had capabilities not only to identify active shooters but also help neutralize any threats.

“The failure to deploy drone technology is all the more concerning since, according to the whistleblower, the drones USSS was offered had the capability not only to identify active shooters but also to help neutralize them.

So that Congress can continue its investigation, please provide no later than seven days from now all records and communications concerning the availability or use of drones at the July 13, 2024 rally in Butler, PA. You must also testify before Congress next week about these staggering security failures by your department.”

NEW – Whistleblower tells me local law enforcement partners & suppliers offered drones to Secret Service BEFORE the rally – but Secret Service declined pic.twitter.com/UM0jfrMc9z

— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) July 25, 2024

 

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