By Smartencyclopedia & Agencies

The Secret Service has admitted to denying certain requests from Donald Trump’s campaign for increased security at his events in the years leading up to the recent assassination attempt at a rally.

Initially, in the aftermath of the July 13 attack, the agency denied rejecting such requests. However, a week after the attempt on Trump’s life, the Secret Service reversed its stance, acknowledging that some requests for heightened security around the former president had indeed been turned down.

This reversal is expected to be a focal point of a congressional hearing on Monday, where Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle will testify before lawmakers who have criticized the security lapses that allowed a 20-year-old gunman to climb onto the roof of a nearby building at Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and fire his weapon. Trump was wounded in the right ear, one rallygoer was killed, and two others were injured. Secret Service agents killed the shooter.

“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 the agency’s chief spokesperson, Anthony Guglielmi, in a statement released late Saturday to The Washington Post. The newspaper was the first to report the agency’s reversal based on detailed questions submitted to the Secret Service.

“We execute a comprehensive and layered strategy to balance personnel, technology, and specialized operational needs,” Guglielmi stated.

He mentioned that the agency sometimes relies on state and local law enforcement departments when specialized Secret Service units are unavailable.

“In instances where specific Secret Service specialized units or resources were not provided, the agency made modifications to ensure the security of the protectee,” Guglielmi explained. “This may include utilizing state or local partners to provide specialized functions or otherwise identifying alternatives to reduce public exposure of a protectee.”

After the assassination attempt, as reports surfaced that the agency had denied the Trump campaign’s requests, Guglielmi initially denied the claims.

“There is an untrue assertion that a member of the former President’s team requested additional security resources & that those were rebuffed,” Guglielmi said in a social media post. “This is false. We added protective resources & technology & capabilities as part of the increased campaign travel tempo.”

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas called the incident a “failure” while several lawmakers have demanded Cheatle’s resignation. The Secret Service has stated that Cheatle has no intention of stepping down and continues to receive support from Democratic President Joe Biden and Mayorkas.

However, the agency’s acknowledgment of denying some campaign requests has sparked renewed condemnation.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said on CNN’s “State of the Union” that the acknowledgment “is just beyond the pale.” Referring to Cheatle, he added, “She’s got a lot to answer for.” Johnson mentioned that lawmakers would release details about a bipartisan congressional task force to investigate the Secret Service on Monday.

Trump’s son, Eric Trump, said Cheatle should resign in “absolute disgrace.”

“The fact that she is still in her job is beyond,” he said on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.”

Biden, who is campaigning to deny Trump a second term in the White House, has ordered an independent investigation. The Homeland Security Department and a congressional committee are also conducting investigations.

Trump claimed he was not informed about any suspicious individuals when he took the stage in Pennsylvania. Some rallygoers reported seeing the gunman on the roof before Trump walked out and alerted law enforcement authorities on site.

In an interview with Fox News host Jesse Waters set to air Monday, Trump said, “No, nobody mentioned it, nobody said there was a problem” before he took the stage and a gunman opened fire. “They could’ve said, ‘Let’s wait for 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 5 minutes, something.’ Nobody said. I think that was a mistake.”

Trump also questioned the security lapses and how the gunman accessed the roof.

“How did somebody get on that roof? And why wasn’t he reported? Because people saw that he was on the roof,” Trump said. “So you would’ve thought someone would’ve done something about it.”

Local law enforcement officers had seen the man, deemed him suspicious, circulated his photo, and witnesses reported seeing him scaling the building.

Trump’s campaign and the White House did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment.