House Republicans have argued that Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas repeatedly refused to strengthen Secret Service efforts against former President Trump.
Rep. Mike Walz (R-Fla.) made the accusation hours after Trump was grazed by a bullet at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
“Very credible sources tell me there have been repeated requests to President Trump to beef up the Secret Service. Director Mayorkas has refused,” Waltz wrote on X.
The House Homeland Security Committee plans to investigate reports that President Trump was denied heavy Secret Service protection ahead of the rally, sources told Fox News Digital.
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Republican presidential candidate and former US president Donald Trump gestures with a bloody face as multiple gunshots ring out during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania, USA, on July 13, 2024. (Reuters/Brendan McDiarmid)
“The committee has also read these reports and will be closely monitoring what happened leading up to and immediately after the assassination attempt on President Trump. Clearly these reports are serious matters and require investigation,” the source said.
A gunman opened fire at a rally for the former president, killing one protester and wounding two others, according to a Secret Service statement. The gunman also died.
Walz, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, did not elaborate on his remarks when his office was contacted by Fox News Digital.
Fox News Digital also reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment.
Rep. Mike Walz criticized Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for refusing to provide additional security for President Trump. (Getty Images)
Additionally, Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), chairman of the House Oversight Committee, has publicly called on Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheadle to testify publicly before the committee.
“The Oversight Committee will send a formal invitation shortly,” he wrote to X.
President Trump issued a statement hours after the shooting, thanking police and offering his condolences to the victims.
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Rep. Mike Waltz is a member of the House Intelligence Committee. (Getty Images)
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“I want to thank the United States Secret Service and all law enforcement for their swift response to the shooting that occurred in Butler, Pennsylvania. Most importantly, I want to extend my condolences to the family of the person who died at the rally and the family of the other person who was seriously injured,” Trump wrote.
“I can’t believe something like this could happen in our country. At this time we don’t know anything about the perpetrator. He is already deceased. I was shot above my right ear. I knew straight away something was wrong as I heard a whoosh and a gunshot and felt the bullet penetrate my skin. I was bleeding profusely and it was clear what was going on.”
