Whistleblowers say lead agent at Trump assassination attempt was 'inexperienced': Sen. Josh Hawley
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., tells 'Jesse Watters Primetime' what whistleblowers have told him regarding the security failures at former President Trump's Butler, Pa., rally.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., appeared on "Jesse Watters Primetime" on Monday night to reveal new claims regarding the assassination attempt against former President Trump last month.
Hawley told host Jesse Watters that he had spoken with whistleblowers who provided him with information about the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) lead site agent at the Butler, Pennsylvania, rally on July 13.
In the middle of the rally, gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks shot Trump from a sloped roof, hitting him in the ear and killing one attendee. The 20-year-old had also injured two others before he was killed by Secret Service agents.
The incident has led both Republicans and Democrats to intensely scrutinize the Secret Service in recent weeks. On "Jesse Watters Primetime," Hawley claimed that the lead site agent was known to be inexperienced and "incompetent."
TRUMP SHOOTING: TIMELINE OF ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT
Sen. Josh Hawley told Jesse Watters that he has been in contact with whistleblowers about the July 13 assassination attempt against former President Trump. (Getty Images | Fox News)
"The site agent, the lead agent, was known to the Trump campaign to be inexperienced, to be ineffectual, to be, frankly, incompetent at their job," Hawley said. "I'm also told by whistleblowers that on that day, she was not enforcing the normal security protocols."
"She was not checking people's IDs. She did not use Secret Service agents," Hawley added. "Most of the agents there that day were not Secret Service agents. They were Homeland Security agents."
The Missouri senator also claimed that some Secret Service agents are unhappy with how the agency has handled the shooting.
"Whistleblowers are coming forward from the Secret Service because they can't believe what leadership is doing," Hawley said. "They cannot believe that Secret Service is not taking action to clear out the rot."
Law enforcement officers gather at campaign rally site for former President Trump, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
"Frankly, they're scared to death [that] this is going to happen again. We can't let it happen again. We've got to get the facts," the Republican concluded.
Shortly after the interview, Hawley made an X post about a scathing letter he had sent to Secret Service acting director Ronald L. Rowe on Monday. In the letter, Hawley demanded to know why the lead site agent was assigned to the rally and why certain protocols were not followed.
"I urge you to suspend the lead site agent from all Secret Service duties immediately while these claims are investigated," Hawley wrote.
The crowd reacts after shots were fired at republican presidential candidate former President Trump's rally on July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
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Fox News Digital reached out to the Secret Service for comment, but did not immediately hear back.
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