New whistleblower allegations reveal  law enforcement offered drones to secure Trump rally - but were DENIED by Secret Service before deadly shooting

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  • READ MORE: Cheatle doubles down connected why agents weren't stationed connected roof

By Morgan Phillips, Congress Reporter On Capitol Hill For Dailymail.Com

Published: 16:37 EDT, 25 July 2024 | Updated: 16:37 EDT, 25 July 2024

Secret Service stood successful nan measurement of utilizing drone exertion to study nan segment of nan Butler rally wherever an assassin tried to sprout erstwhile President Donald Trump, according to a whistleblower. 

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., revealed that 1 whistleblower had told his agency nan nighttime earlier nan rally Secret Service 'repeatedly denied offers from a section rule enforcement partner to utilize drone exertion to unafraid nan rally.'

The whistleblower alleged that aft nan shooting Secret Service 'changed people and asked nan section partner to deploy nan drone exertion to surveil nan tract successful nan aftermath.' 

The drones that were offered 'had nan expertise not only to place progressive shooters but to neutralize them,' according to Hawley. 

From Homeland Security Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas Hawley demanded each records and communications related to nan drone offer.  

Republican statesmanlike campaigner erstwhile President Donald Trump is rushed offstage during a rally connected July 13, 2024

Snippers guidelines connected a tile astatine Republican statesmanlike campaigner and erstwhile U.S. President Donald Trump's run rally

Republican statesmanlike campaigner erstwhile President Donald Trump is covered by U.S. Secret Service agents astatine a run rally

The caller declare adds different furniture to nan probe of nan Secret Service's biggest information nonaccomplishment since Ronald Reagan was changeable successful 1981. 

After a blistering six hours of grounds connected Monday Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle handed complete her resignation connected Tuesday. 

She'd spent overmuch of nan time evading and giving conflicting answers to questions specified arsenic why nan tile wherever gunman Thomas Crooks committed his onslaught wasn't included wrong nan information perimeter contempt being wrong firearm scope of nan shape and why Trump was allowed to return nan shape contempt Crooks being identified arsenic a suspicious personification 1 hr earlier he fired immoderate shots. 

When asked to explicate why location wasn't an supplier connected nan roof, nan head explained it's because nan agency mostly 'prefers sterile rooftops.' 

FBI Director Christopher Wray told lawmakers connected Wednesday nan 20-year-old gunman flew a drone 200 yards from nan shape conscionable 2 hours earlier he opened occurrence successful Butler, Pennsylvania, and had 3 explosives successful his car. 

Crooks changeable Trump successful nan receptor conscionable 400 feet distant from nan shape successful Butler, Pennsylvania, connected July 13 from nan tile of a adjacent building conscionable extracurricular nan information perimeter of nan event. 

Wray said Crooks and his family owned a mixed 14 guns and Crooks had visited a shooting scope 1 time earlier nan rally. Crooks utilized an AR-style limb that had been purchased legally by his begetter and sold to him successful October 2023. 

Wray said 8 slug cartridges had been recovered from nan tile wherever Crooks fired disconnected his shots toward nan erstwhile president. 

After a blistering six hours of grounds connected Monday Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle handed complete her resignation connected Tuesday

And he wouldn't norm retired that Crooks did not person immoderate accomplices to nan crime, saying it's still being looked astatine by rule enforcement.  

As Wray faced questions astir why nan president was allowed connected shape contempt nan 'threat' being identified 20 minutes earlier nan shots were fired, Wray said, 'we don't cognize nan reply to that.' 

He said that nary 1 successful rule enforcement saw Crooks pinch lying down successful a shooting position pinch a weapon successful manus until 'moments before' he fired, but had seen him connected nan tile 'minutes before.' 

The FBI and Secret Service revealed to lawmakers past week they spotted Crooks arsenic a personification of liking a afloat 62 minutes earlier he fired a shot. 

He'd been seen pinch a scope finder, which Cheatle said was 'not a prohibited item' astatine Trump rallies. This wasn't capable to place him arsenic a threat.

Twenty minutes earlier Crooks fired a shot, he was spotted connected nan roof. 

A slug grazed Trump's ear. One assemblage member, Corey Comperatore, 50, was killed and 2 others - David Dutch, 57 and James Copenhaver, 57 - were severely wounded but are successful a unchangeable condition.

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