Secret Service leaves Trump vulnerable once again after female agent abandons post to breastfeed: Report



The U.S. Secret Service once again left former President Donald Trump vulnerable to attack after a female agent reportedly abandoned her post to breastfeed her child during a event in Asheville, North Carolina, on Wednesday.

Shortly before Trump's motorcade was set to arrive in the area, the site agent in charge of overseeing all security for the event took one final sweep of the walking route, according to a report from Susan Crabtree of RealClearPolitics citing "three sources in the Secret Service community."

This apparent security lapse by the Secret Service is just the latest in a series of security breaches by the agency ... that seemingly led to 20-year-old Thomas Crooks firing several rounds at Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13

During this last-minute security check, the site agent found a female Secret Service agent breastfeeding her child in a room reserved for "important Secret Service official work," including a possible emergency involving the president, Crabtree said.

Secret Service agents on duty are prohibited from bringing their children to a protective assignment, Crabtree added.

Not only had the female agent apparently violated that restriction, but she was also accompanied by two members of her family who may have been unvetted.

The agent, her two relatives, and ostensibly her baby bypassed the Uniformed Division checkpoint and were taken to the secure room by an "unpinned" staff member, Crabtree's report indicated. "Unpinned" means the Secret Service has not given the individual clearance to be there.

Crabtree did not provide the identity of the female agent but did note that she is from the Atlanta Field Office.

Where the agent was assigned to be at the Asheville event and whether another agent took her place are both unclear.

When reached for comment about the incident, Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi gave Crabtree the following statement: "All employees of the U.S. Secret Service are held to the highest standards. While there was no impact to the North Carolina event, the specifics of this incident are being examined. Given this is a personnel matter, we are not in a position to comment further."

This apparent security lapse by the Secret Service is just the latest in a series of security breaches by the agency — thoroughly documented by Blaze News — that seemingly led to 20-year-old Thomas Crooks firing several rounds at Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13.

One of those rounds came within millimeters of killing the former president, tearing through his right ear rather than his skull. Another shot claimed the life of former fire chief Corey Comperatore. Two others were critically wounded.

Outrage over the shooting led to the resignation of Director Kimberly Cheatle. However, acting Director Ronald Rowe admitted just two weeks ago that no agent affiliated with the July 13 rally had yet been fired.

Trump traveled to North Carolina this week to give a speech about his economic plan in a prospective second term. Among other ideas, Trump touted a pledge to eliminate taxes on Social Security remittance.

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Whistleblower accuses Secret Service of cutting threat assessment efforts before shooting despite warnings, Hawley says



Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri said Thursday that a whistleblower had come forward to claim further egregious lapses of security ahead of the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump.

'New and disturbing information has come to light.'

Hawley documented the accusations in a letter to Secret Service acting Director Ronald Rowe that he posted to X.

"Since your testimony before the Senate of July 30, new and disturbing information has come to light about Secret Service planning for the Butler, Pennsylvania Trump campaign event— and your own involvement," wrote Hawley.

The letter says the whistleblower accused Rowe of personally cutting manpower to the Secret Service Counter Surveillance Division by 20% and not divulging that information during his testimony before Congress.

Had the CSD been allowed to perform its normal security duties at the Butler rally, according to the whistleblower, the alleged shooter would have been apprehended long before he had a chance to take aim on the former president.

Further, the whistleblower claimed that some officers warned about security lapses in events prior to the shooting, but instead of heeding the warnings, officials retaliated against the officers.

Hawley asked that Rowe provide records of policy changes during his tenure, especially as related to the CSD, and also records related to officers who are under disciplinary action at the Secret Service.

The accusations are just the latest in a series of bombshells about the incompetence and missteps by the Secret Service in providing security to protect Trump. The director of the Secret Service has since resigned under the scrutiny and public pressure.

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Gunman was allegedly able to get aerial footage of rally by drone before shooting at Trump, WSJ reports



A Wall Street Journal report says that the gunman who allegedly fired at former President Donald Trump was able to fly a drone in order to surveil the area at the rally.

The report is the latest in a series of leaks that has exposed the Secret Service to incredible scrutiny over the lapse of security provided to the former president.

'This is just unbelievable! What a mess!'

The report said Thomas Matthew Crooks obtained the footage by flying a drone along a predetermined path just hours ahead of the rally on July 13, according to law enforcement officials who spoke to the Journal.

Officials also said they found explosives in Crooks' car, leading many to believe he intended to cause more carnage in addition to shooting the president.

Local law enforcement officials and the Secret Service have been playing the blame game and tossing out accusations at each other since the shocking incident.

Lawmakers and others have heavily criticized the head of the Secret Service over the constant stream of information documenting the many failures of the plan to protect Trump.

While Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has claimed to have taken responsibility for the lapses, she has also said that she would not be stepping down from her position.

Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee responded to the revelation by criticizing the Secret Service director.

"The thing that is so frustrating about this is we're getting these bits and pieces we're trying to verify and make certain that we know what is information, what is rumor, and that we hold the director to account," she said in a segment on Fox News. "This is just unbelievable! What a mess!"

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Secret Service responsible for security failure at rally while trying to blame local police, says district attorney



A local district attorney said that the U.S. Secret Service is trying to pass the buck on security failures during the assassination attempt even though it was responsible.

'It was unacceptable, and it's something that shouldn't happen again.'

Butler County district attorney Richard Goldinger made the claim in an interview with the Washington Post. Goldinger said that the SWAT teams in his jurisdiction were located within the secure perimeter while it was the responsibility of the Secret Service to secure the area outside of that perimeter.

“Secret Service was in charge, and so it was their responsibility to make sure that the venue and the surrounding area was secure," he explained.

“That’s common sense I think. That’s their job," Goldinger continued. “For them to blame local law enforcement is them passing the blame when they hold the blame, in my opinion.”

Goldinger was responding to a Secret Service source telling the Post that there was a local county's SWAT team of snipers inside the building that the alleged shooter climbed in order to attack former President Donald Trump.

The Secret Service told the Post that a counter-sniper fired at the shooter as soon as he saw him lift his weapon but that he had already shot at Trump by the time he was killed.

Also on Tuesday, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle claimed ultimate responsibility for the failures was borne by the Secret Service, but she refused to step down from her position.

"The Secret Service is responsible for the protection of the former president," said Cheatle in the interview. "The buck stops with me, I am the director of the Secret Service. It was unacceptable, and it's something that shouldn't happen again."

Some blamed the failure of the Secret Service on Cheatle's determination to implement diversity and inclusion practices at the organization.

Monday evening the former president made his first public appearance since the shooting. He walked into the hall of the Republican National Convention to thunderous applause from supporters. He had a bandage on his ear and appeared to be humble according to some viewers.

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