America First Legal filed a lawsuit Thursday against the Department of Homeland Security and Secret Service, Breitbart reported.
The conservative public interest group alleges that the agencies are purposely withholding information about the first assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump.
AFL launched several probes days after the July 13 shooting that nicked the former president's ear, barely missing the kill shot to Trump's head. The organization has filed a Freedom of Information Act and requested to gain access to information from the federal agencies in charge of protecting him that day.
The public interest group has requested all communications for July 13 involving DHS officials, including Secretary Alejandro Majorkas and senior officials Jonathan Davidson and Kristie Canegello. AFL has also asked for agendas from the director and deputy director of the Secret Service and other agency top brass.
"To date, AFL has not received any requested records, despite requesting expedited processing and meeting all of the standards in law to receive such expedited proceedings," the organization said in a statement. The FOIA request was necessary as the agencies have not been forthcoming.
The Secret Service informed the AFL in July that it could not readily provide the requested information due to a lack of personnel. It also claimed that there was no further threat to anyone's life, which now rings hollow considering the second attempt on Trump's life.
"Just a few days ago, another assassin attempted to take President Trump’s life in Florida. There is no denying that President Trump currently faces genuine threats, and AFL’s requests would help to ensure that USSS and DHS leadership are sufficiently trained and staffed to ensure the safety of President Trump," AFL continued in its statement.
"The American people need total transparency," it added. Unfortunately, as Senate HSGAC Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Ranking Member Sen. Ron Johnson noted, the Secret Service has been anything but transparent.
"[The] toxicology report; we don’t have any of the trajectory reports. So, where’d the bullets go? We don’t even know how they handled the crime scene," Johnson said to the press about gunman Matthew Thomas Crooks' autopsy and other reports.
The Wisconsin Republican added that to date, he hadn't interviewed the Secret Service sniper who shot and killed Crooks to stop the attack. "There’s just basic information we should have right now, and we don’t have it," Johnson said.
Perhaps the agencies had something to hide after all. As Fox News reported, acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe admitted Friday that "communication deficiencies" hindered the response to Crooks, who was spotted climbing up to the roof where he'd take his shots against Trump.
"For example, the Secret Service did not co-locate its security room with local law enforcement. There was an over-reliance on mobile devices, resulting in information being siloed," Rowe told reporters.
Communication failures came after agents used radio and phones to communicate Crooks' whereabouts, leading to a split in how they were informed. "At approximately 1810 local time, by a phone call, the Secret Service security room calls the counter sniper response agent, reporting an individual on the roof of the building," Rowe shared
"That vital piece of information was not relayed over the Secret Service Radio network," he added. "The Office of Professional Responsibility and the Office of Integrity are reviewing the findings," Rowe later promised.
It is unfathomable to think that these organizations failed so miserably at protecting a former president and current GOP presidential candidate. Changes must be made to ensure Trump and all other politicians are safe no matter what.
