Secret Service leadership interfered with an independent government probe into the July 13 assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump, according to multiple reports.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, raised concerns after a whistleblower shared an email in which USSS management told employees this summer there should be an "organized response" to an inspector general, The Washington Times reported Thursday.
"Wrote Acting Dir [Ronald] Rowe after whistleblowers told me USSS is interfering w DHS' watchdog investigation WBs hv right 2speak freely to IGs/Cong USSS actions hv a chilling effect on WBs &prevent Americans frm getting answers abt 1st Trump assassination attempt TRANSPARENCY NEEDED," Grassley posted on X on Thursday.
Then on Friday, emails reviewed by RealClearPolitics and several sources also indicated Secret Service leaders interfered with the investigation, but also added that the agency still is not following any basic agency security protocols for the presidents, vice presidents, and presidential candidates.
Trump was grazed in the ear, one spectator was killed, and two others were wounded when a sniper tried to assassinate the former president during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned 10 days later after the agency was scrutinized for its failure to stop a would-be assassin.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., ripped the service last month after the release of a preliminary report from a bipartisan House panel investigating the assassination attempt.
The bipartisan House task force investigating the assassination attempt released an interim report that deemed the incident "preventable" and criticized the apparent "lack of planning and coordination between the Secret Service and its law enforcement partners before the rally."
RealClearPolitics reported that USSS managers sent emails to employees asking them to alert them to any "direct requests for information or interview" from the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General (DHS OIG).
The DHS OIG is investigating the failures that led to the near assassination of Trump.
The emails directed USSS employees to tell supervisors if any OIG official reached out to them so leadership could coordinate "an organized response."
Grassley quoted from the whistleblower email sent to him in a letter the senator sent to Rowe.
"Generally not an issue, however this is NOT the normal course of action and the Service needs awareness … to ensure an organized response," the email read, in part.
Grassley wrote Rowe to say the email from USSS management "could have a chilling effect on its employees from fully cooperating and providing information to the DHS OIG as well as congressional investigations out of fear of retaliation since supervisors will apparently be keeping tabs on their communications."
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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