Concerns Regarding the Butler Shooting Investigation
Mike Benz, a former official at the State Department, addressed serious concerns with Fox News regarding the shooting incident in Butler, Pennsylvania. He questioned whether any federal law enforcement agencies were more involved than what has been publicly disclosed.
A year has passed since President Donald Trump was shot at a Butler rally. During his appearance on The Will Cain Show, Benz expressed that the ongoing lack of transparency about the case has left many critical questions unanswered.
Benz suggested, “It’s unclear if this person was being monitored or if there’s any sort of interaction with federal law enforcement that could have led to this situation. I think most people assume that if federal agencies wanted to access a phone, they could do it. For all we know, he could have been in touch with a foreign government.”
He raised concerns that the investigation into the Butler shooting might expand beyond just the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), proposing that agencies like the National Security Agency (NSA) could be involved in decrypting communications.
Benz continued, “This situation could involve more than just the FBI and DHS. The NSA has the capability to crack these types of communications. There has been a whistleblower report that mentioned Homeland Security Investigations. I’ve heard that many Secret Service agents were mysteriously replaced that day, as they were divided between the NATO Summit and Jill Biden.”
He pointed out a concerning series of events leading up to the shooting. “Apparently, the Secret Service turned down around ten requests for additional security from the Trump campaign before the incident. It’s puzzling how these elements don’t add up for the American public,” Benz remarked. “We really need some form of transparency task force to address these specific concerns regarding HSI and possible informant recruitment, including details about phone communications.”
A report that emerged in September 2024 highlighted whistleblower claims about security failures by the Secret Service during the assassination attempt on Trump in Butler. Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley released findings that pointed to various challenges within the DHS and the Secret Service.
The whistleblower alleged that the agent responsible for security at the Butler Rally failed a crucial federal training exam and was left “silent.” According to the report, the Secret Service’s intelligence unit also lacked proper coordination, which affected communication between law enforcement agencies.
A senior official from the Secret Service acknowledged that a “classified threat” to Trump’s life had been identified ten days prior to the assassination attempt on July 13, 2024. However, this critical information did not reach the agents tasked with his protection. A government Accountability Office report stated that the information meant for Secret Service leadership did not get to field agents due to poor practices in sharing classified information.
