Trump golf course vulnerabilities exposed by whistleblower prompt Hawley to demand Secret Service action.
According to the whistleblower, it is standard Secret Service protocol that there are known vulnerabilities at that course.
On Wednesday, Missouri Republican Senator Josh Hawley wrote to acting U.S. Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe inquiring about whistleblower claims regarding the second assassination attempt against former President Trump in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday.
An individual with direct knowledge of Secret Service protection at former President Trump's golf course in West Palm Beach, who has in fact protected President Trump at that very location, alleged to Hawley's office earlier this week that there are "known vulnerabilities" in the fence line surrounding the course, including "places that offer a clear line of sight to the former president and others playing the course."
"According to Hawley's letter to Rowe, the whistleblower claims that Secret Service protocol requires agents to be posted up at vulnerable spots when Trump visits the course. However, on September 15, the gunman was allowed to remain near the fence line for 12 hours, despite not being posted up."
On Thursday, Hawley informed reporters that the whistleblower claimed it is standard Secret Service protocol to know of vulnerabilities at that course.
"According to Hawley, areas where you can see people playing the course are known sites where Secret Service agents are stationed before Trump plays. However, it appears that they did not sweep the perimeter, which is strange. This allowed the gunman to remain undetected for twelve hours until Trump was close by."
On Sunday, Ryan Routh was arrested and charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Secret Service agents were able to neutralize the suspected threat posed by Routh. Authorities said more charges may be filed against him at a later date.
In his letter, Hawley raised doubts about whether agents patrolled the golf course's perimeter on Sunday and whether drones were used to monitor the fence line while the former president was playing golf.
The senator wrote that the assassin should never have been able to linger around the course for that long undetected.
READ THE LETTER HERE. MOBILE USERS CLICK HERE.
Did Secret Service personnel check for vulnerabilities along the Trump International Golf Club perimeter fencing, conduct a sweep of the perimeter before the former president's arrival, use canine units or UAS elements to monitor the perimeter, have counter surveillance personnel at the golf course, and what was the specific counter surveillance mitigation plan that day?
Planet Chronicle Digital has reached out to the Secret Service for comment.
Hawley is not a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, which is probing the two assassination attempts on Trump since July, but he is conducting his own independent investigation into both attempts.
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