Secret Service, DHS sued over first Trump assassination attempt

A conservative legal watchdog group is heading to court to get the U.S. Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to explain how gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks had been able to "fire a relatively simple shot that came within an inch of killing President Trump and struck fellow Americans."

In a lawsuit filed Thursday, America First Legal (AFL) alleges that the Secret Service and DHS illegally concealed government records related to the attempted assassination in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. The organization claims it submitted multiple public records requests about the incident but still has not received any documents.

"On July 13, the American people watched in horror as a lunatic attempted to assassinate former President, and current candidate for President, Donald Trump," Gene Hamilton, AFL senior counsel, said in a statement. 

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"Today, there is widespread and bipartisan acknowledgment that there were catastrophic failures that tragic day and in the weeks and months ahead of it. We are committed to obtaining these records so that the American people can see for themselves exactly what senior DHS leadership was prioritizing in its mission, and why more resources were not devoted to the protection of President Donald J. Trump," Hamilton said.

AFL requested documents pertaining to the Secret Service's staffing shortages, hiring and employment standards and all communications to or from Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and two senior DHS officials, Kristie Canegallo and Jonathan Davidson.

According to AFL, the Secret Service said it would not process their expedited public records' requests because there was "no threat to the life or safety of anyone" and that there was no urgency to grant their request. 

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Lawmakers on Capitol Hill — both Republican and Democratic — have also been trying to obtain documents from government agencies related to the events that unfolded that day and what security lapses may have occurred.

"Politicians on both sides of the aisle and the American people both agree that USSS and senior officials at DHS are failing to provide well-deserved and well-needed transparency," AFL said in its news release.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., recently told reporters on Capitol Hill that he is "reaching the point of total outrage" because the DHS response has been "totally lacking." 

"In fact, I think it’s tantamount to stonewalling in many respects," the Connecticut Democrat said.

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., also recently told Fox News Digital that the Secret Service had refused to release documents about Crooks' autopsy report, saying, "We don't have any of the trajectory reports."

"So, where'd the bullets go? We don't even know how they handled the crime scene," he said. "We haven't been able to interview the sniper who took out Crooks," Johnson said. Crooks is the would-be assassin who, during the July 13 rally in Pennsylvania, opened fire, grazing the former president's ear, killing a rally attendee and critically injuring two others.

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In light of the second attempted assassination of Trump's life at his golf course in Florida last week, AFL said in it statement: "There is no denying that President Trump currently faces genuine threats, and AFL’s requests would help to ensure that USSS and DHS leadership are sufficiently trained and staffed to ensure the safety of President Trump."

"The American people and Congress need total transparency," the group said.