Senator Josh Hawley recently revealed that the security team assigned to protect former President Donald Trump during an assassination attempt consisted mostly of Homeland Security agents with only limited training.
The New York Post reported that these agents had completed just a two-hour online webinar. Hawley shared this information during an interview on "Jesse Watters Primetime."
He pointed out that these agents were not part of the usual Secret Service detail but had been reassigned from other responsibilities, including child exploitation investigations.
This temporary setup raised concerns, with Hawley questioning whether such minimal training was sufficient for such a vital protective task.
Senator Hawley highlighted the differences in the usual protective measures taken for former presidents by noting that Trump's security at the Butler, Pennsylvania rally was not managed by the Secret Service but by Homeland Security agents.
This shift in responsibility came with significant risks given the agents' limited training focused solely on a brief online course.
Hawley expressed his dismay over the technical issues during the training webinar, which he claimed affected the overall effectiveness of the preparation. The technical glitches reportedly included problems with the audio feed, further diminishing the training's effectiveness.
A two-hour, online webinar. And I’m told that half the time, the sounds to the webinar didn’t even work.
The security arrangements have sparked a broader discussion about the adequacy of protection provided to high-profile figures and the reliance on hastily arranged security details.
This concern was exacerbated by the fact that the local SWAT team, rather than the Homeland Security agents, initially intervened to disrupt the assassination attempt.
During the congressional testimony that followed the incident, there was no mention of the SWAT team's involvement, which was only highlighted in subsequent reports. This omission has raised questions about transparency and the sharing of critical information during security breaches.
Senator Hawley concluded his remarks by pointing out the grave implications of such an oversight where the safety of a former president was compromised. He criticized both the Secret Service and FBI for not being forthcoming about the details of the rally's security arrangements.
The security for former President Donald Trump during his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania was primarily handled by Homeland Security agents with limited training, as disclosed by Senator Josh Hawley. These agents, typically assigned to other tasks, were quickly repurposed for presidential security, undergoing only a two-hour online training session, which was plagued by technical issues. This incident has highlighted significant concerns regarding the adequacy and preparation of security details assigned to protect high-profile political figures.
