America First Legal (AFL) filed a lawsuit Thursday against the Secret Service and the Department of Homeland Security, alleging they illegally concealed records of the first assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump.
The organization launched multiple investigations on an emergency basis on July 16, 2024, just three days after the July 13 assassination attempt, in which a bullet missed the former president's head by just centimeters and would have been fatal.
The AFL has requested documents under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) detailing possible Secret Service staffing shortages, the agency's recruiting and hiring standards, and communications between Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and two other senior Homeland Security officials — Christy Canellello and Jonathan Davidson — on the day of the assassination attempt.
America First Legal also requested timelines from key government officials at the Secret Service, including the director and deputy director.
“Despite the AFL requesting an expedited process and meeting all of the legal criteria to receive an expedited process, to date it has not received any of the records requested,” the group said in a statement on Thursday.
According to the AFL, the Secret Service said in July that it would not expedite AFL's FOIA request about the staffing shortages because there was no threat to life or safety and no urgency to inform the public about government activities. The AFL noted that the Secret Service had granted a request for expedited FOIA processing on a separate request for the same reason.
Some Democrats have also criticized the Department of Homeland Security for its inaction in response to the assassination attempt.
“I've reached a point of total outrage,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) recently told reporters.
“[T]”The response from the Department of Homeland Security has been completely inadequate. In fact, I think in many ways it has amounted to sabotage,” he said.
The AFL statement continues: “Just days ago, another assassin attempted on President Trump's life in Florida. There is no denying that President Trump now faces a genuine threat. The AFL's request will help ensure that USSS and DHS leadership are adequately trained and staffed to ensure President Trump's security.”
“The American people need full transparency,” the group added.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) introduced an amendment on Wednesday that would have directed the Secret Service to release any information related to the July 13 assassination attempt, and it passed unanimously in the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
“To date, the Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security have provided virtually no answers and many questions remain,” Hawley said.
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), ranking member of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), said the Secret Service is refusing to hand over the autopsy report and other documents of attempted assassin Matthew Thomas Crooks.
“[The] “There's no toxicology report, there's no ballistics report, nothing. So where did the bullet go? We don't even know how they handled the crime scene,” Johnson told reporters recently. According to To Fox News.
He also said he had not been able to interview the Secret Service sniper who killed Crooks.
“Right now we have basic information that we should have and we don't have it.”
