Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) has sent a letter to acting U.S. Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe seeking clarification on whistle-blower allegations related to the recent assassination attempt against former President Trump in West Palm Beach, Florida.
The incident occurred on Sunday, September 15, when a gunman reportedly lingered near Trump’s golf course for approximately 12 hours before being neutralised by Secret Service agents.
Whistle-blower, described as someone with direct knowledge of Secret Service operations at the golf course, claimed there are “known vulnerabilities” in the area’s fence line, allowing a clear line of sight to Trump and others on the course.
Hawley noted that, according to the whistle-blower, it has been standard Secret Service protocol to station agents at these vulnerable spots when Trump is present. However, that protocol allegedly was not followed on the day of the incident.
Hawley stated, “It sounds like they didn’t even sweep the perimeter. This is strange. This is why the gunman was able to hang out there at one of these known vulnerable sites for twelve hours without anybody saying anything to him until Trump was within a few hundred yards.”
The suspected assailant, identified as Ryan Routh, has been arrested and charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Further charges may be forthcoming.
In his letter, Hawley expressed concerns over whether Secret Service personnel were stationed at the known vulnerabilities along the golf course perimeter, if a sweep of the area was conducted before Trump’s arrival, and whether surveillance technologies, including drones or canine units, were employed during the incident.
He emphasised that the would-be assassin should not have been able to remain undetected for such an extended period.
While Hawley does not sit on the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, which is currently looking into the assassination attempts on Trump since July, he has been conducting his independent investigation into both incidents. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Secret Service for comment regarding the allegations and the measures taken on the day of the attempted assassination.
