Secret Service Rejected Drone Support Before Trump Rally Shooting, Whistleblower Claims

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) revealed that a whistleblower has accused the Secret Service of declining offers for drone surveillance from local law enforcement before the Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where an assassination attempt occurred. The whistleblower claimed that the night before the rally, the Secret Service refused to use drones that could have secured the event. After the shooting, they requested drone deployment to survey the area.

Hawley sent a letter to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, demanding records and communications about drone use on the day of the rally. He questioned why the Secret Service allowed the shooter to fly his drone near the rally but didn’t use their own technology. The offered drones could have identified and neutralized active shooters.

Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle testified before Congress and resigned the next day, defending the agency’s mission. FBI Director Christopher Wray stated that shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks flew a drone near the rally hours before the attack, possibly livestreaming. Hawley has called for Mayorkas to testify before Congress about these security lapses.