The U.S. Secret Service on Sunday refuted claims that former President Donald Trump’s security team requested additional security and was denied during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania where a shooter opened fire at the former president on Saturday evening.
“There’s an untrue assertion that a member of the former President’s team requested additional security resources & that those were rebuffed. This is absolutely false. In fact, we added protective resources & technology & capabilities as part of the increased campaign travel tempo,” Mr. Guglielmi wrote in a post on X.
An FBI special agent also pushed back on those claims on Saturday during a news conference. “There was no additional request for security that was ever denied by the FBI,” Kevin Rojek, the special agent in charge of the Pittsburgh-area office, told reporters.
At least one lawmaker, Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.), a member of the House Intelligence Committee, has publicly stated on social media that former President Trump’s team made a request for more security but was denied.
The Epoch Times contacted Mr. Waltz’s office and the Secret Service for additional comment.
Several top House Republicans immediately pledged investigations into the matter. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) quickly said he would be requesting Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to testify in front of his panel.
The FBI and the Secret Service said the shooter, identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, opened fire from a distance of about 400 feet away before he was shot and killed by the Secret Service.
“The tremendous bravery of the individual United States Secret Service agents who protected President Trump, eliminated the gunman, and possibly averted more loss of life cannot be overstated,” Mr. Comer said in a letter to Ms. Cheatle on Saturday night.
“Shortly after the attempt on President Trump’s life, the Committee was in contact with the United States Secret Service and immediately requested an official briefing for our members,” it said. “The Committee is grateful for the bravery and quick response of the Secret Service agents, and will be conducting thorough oversight to ensure the American people receive answers.”
The former president, in a statement on social media, praised the Secret Service and law enforcement for their response.
“I want to thank The United States Secret Service, and all of Law Enforcement, for their rapid response on the shooting that just took place in Butler, Pennsylvania,” he wrote hours after the incident on his Truth Social platform. “Most importantly, I want to extend my condolences to the family of the person at the Rally who was killed, and also to the family of another person that was badly injured.”
In that post, former President Trump said that he was “shot with a bullet that pierced” part of his right ear,“ adding that he heard ”a whizzing sound“ and shots before feeling the round ”ripping through the skin.”
He added, “Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening.”
Video footage from the rally showed the former president speaking behind the podium before loud pops were heard, causing the presumptive Republican presidential nominee to drop to the ground. Secret Service agents immediately jumped in front of former President Trump, who was later seen getting up with blood streaked across his face.
The former president released a new statement on Sunday, confirming he would attend the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee this week.
