The Secret Service repeatedly denied requests for more personnel and other security resources from agents guarding former President Donald Trump prior to the assassination attempt on the candidate at a July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, a Secret Service official told NBC News.
The earlier requests for additional resources, which stretched over two years, could not be fully accommodated because the Secret Service lacked the resources to fulfill them, the official said.
“The Secret Service has a vast, dynamic, and intricate mission. Every day we work in a dynamic threat environment to ensure our protectees are safe and secure across multiple events, travel, and other challenging environments,” said Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesperson for the Secret Service. “We execute a comprehensive and layered strategy to balance personnel, technology, and specialized operational needs.”
“In some instances where specific Secret Service specialized units or resources were not provided, the agency made modifications to ensure the security of the protectee,” he added. “This may include utilizing state or local partners to provide specialized functions or otherwise identifying alternatives to reduce public exposure of a protectee.”
The day after Trump was wounded by a 20-year-old gunman, Guglielmi said claims that resource requests from Trump’s Secret Service detail had been denied were “absolutely false.”
The following day, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who oversees the Secret Service, called claims that he had personally denied such requests “baseless and irresponsible” and “unequivocally false” in a CNN interview.
The Washington Post was first to report that the Secret Service had repeatedly denied requests for additional security at Trump events for two years prior to his attempted assassination.
The Post reported that Secret Service agents assigned to Trump had requested magnetometers and additional agents to assist with security screenings of attendees at large public gatherings Trump attended, as well as more snipers and specialty teams at other outdoor events.
The revelation that the Secret Service repeatedly turned down additional resources requested from agents guarding Trump comes as the agency experiences a decadelong staffing shortfall, as previously reported by NBC News.
Despite a near doubling of the Secret Service’s budget in recent years, the personnel shortage has continued. The number of senior officials requiring security has also increased as the potential threats against them have diversified.
The Secret Service and federal and local law enforcement agencies have struggled with recruitment in the wake of the police murder of George Floyd. Lengthy Secret Service background checks, which can take up to a year, have also delayed hiring.
The agency has also struggled to retain experienced agents due to the high pressure and grueling nature of the work, as well as the lure of higher salaries in the private sector.
