Conservative legal watchdog groups are seeking to go to court to demand an explanation from the Secret Service and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for how the gunman, Thomas Crooks, was able to “come so close to killing President Trump and then carry out a relatively simple shooting of a fellow American.”
In a lawsuit filed Thursday, America First Legal alleges that the Secret Service and the Department of Homeland Security illegally concealed government records related to the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. The group claims it has submitted multiple public records requests related to the incident but has yet to receive any documents.
“On July 13, the American people watched in horror as a madman attempted to assassinate former president and current presidential candidate Donald Trump,” AFL senior adviser Gene Hamilton said in a statement.
Watch on FOX NATION: The Assassination Attempt on Donald Trump
Thomas Matthew Crooks crawls across a rooftop moments before attempting to assassinate former President Donald Trump. (DJ Laughery (background))
“Today, there is broad bipartisan recognition of that tragic day and the catastrophic failures that occurred in the weeks and months prior to it. We are making these records available so the American people can see for themselves exactly what senior leaders at the Department of Homeland Security prioritized in their mission and why more resources were not devoted to protecting President Donald J. Trump,” Hamilton said.
The AFL requested documents relating to Secret Service staffing shortages, hiring and employment standards, and all communications between Secretary Arenadro Mayorkas and two senior Department of Homeland Security officials, Christy Canejero and Jonathan Davidson.
The AFL said the Secret Service would not process emergency public records requests because “no one's life or safety is threatened” and there is no urgency to comply with the request.
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Republican presidential candidate and former president Donald Trump speaks at a rally, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, in Uniondale, New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Members of Congress, both Republicans and Democrats, are also trying to obtain documents from government agencies about what happened that day and what security failures may have occurred.
“Politicians of both parties and the American public both agree that USSS and DHS officials have failed to provide the transparency that is deserved and needed,” the AFL said in a news release.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal recently told reporters on Capitol Hill that he has been “bordering on utter outrage” because the Department of Homeland Security's response has been “totally inadequate.”
“In fact, I think in many ways it amounts to obstructionism,” the Connecticut Democrat said.
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin, also recently told Fox News Digital that the Secret Service has refused to release documents related to Crooks' autopsy report, saying, “We don't have any trail reports.”
“So where did the bullet go? We don't even know how they handled the scene,” Johnson said. “We haven't been able to interview the sniper who shot and killed Crooks,” he said. Crooks is the would-be assassin who opened fire at a rally in Pennsylvania on July 13, grazing the former president by the ear, killing one rally attendee and seriously wounding two more.
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Former President Trump was injured in an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Following a second assassination attempt on former President Trump's life on a Florida golf course last week, the AFL said in a statement, “There is no denying that President Trump currently faces a genuine threat. The AFL's request will help ensure that USSS and DHS leaders are adequately trained and staffed to ensure President Trump's security.”
“The American people and Congress deserve full transparency,” the group said.
