Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) introduced a bill on Thursday that would declassify information about the circumstances surrounding the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump earlier this month.
The legislation from Hawley would require the Director of National Intelligence and other officials to declassify information related to Secret Service plans leading up to the rally and its response to the attack. Hawley has been pushing Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to provide more information on the shooting as whistleblowers have reached out to his office.
“We need the truth about the assassination attempt against President Trump. We can’t let the federal government hide behind the ‘classified’ label. This investigation must be done out in the open for the American people to see – no more stonewalling, no more evading questions. Time for accountability,” Hawley said.
The bill would require information on the identity, motive, method, and actions of the shooter to be declassified, as well as information on preparations for the rally, the response to the attack, and information on the FBI’s investigation into the shooting.
Hawleys legislation would also mandate that the Director of National Intelligence submit a report to Congress on the assassination attempt.
Previous whistleblowers have told Hawley’s office that the rooftop where a gunman shot at Trump during the rally was abandoned by law enforcement due to heat.
Hawley said earlier this week that a whistleblower told his office that law enforcement was supposed to have a person stationed on the building where 20-year-old Thomas Crooks shot at Trump. Hawley said the whistleblower had direct knowledge of Secret Service plans to secure the event. During the shooting, Trump and two supporters were injured, while 50-year-old Corey Comperatore was killed.
“In fact, the whistleblower alleges that at least one individual was specifically assigned to the roof for the duration of the rally, but this person abandoned his or her post due to the hot weather,” Hawley wrote in a letter to Mayorkas. “The whistleblower further alleges that concerns over the heat prompted law enforcement to forego patrolling Building 6 and instead to station security personnel inside the building.”
Another whistleblower told his office that Secret Service agents refused an offer from local law enforcement to use drones to help secure the rally site in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The FBI’s investigation into the assassination attempt is still ongoing.
Post a Comment