December 19, 2024

DOD boosting Secret Service following Trump assassination attempt

The Department of Defense (DOD) is offering the U.S. Secret Service “additional assistance” following the attempt on former President Donald Trump’s life.

Anthony Guglielmi, U.S. Secret Service chief of communications, said the DOD is providing “additional assistance including logistics, transportation, and communications, through the 2024 campaign season.”

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Former President Donald Trump is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents at a campaign rally

Donald Trump raises his fist in the air and shouts “fight” after he was shot in the ear in an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania.  (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Guglielmi said the agency has bolstered its protective operations since the events of July 13 to “ensure the highest levels of safety and security.”

“The U.S. Secret Service appreciates the invaluable commitment of our military partners and their continued support as we work together to ensure the highest level of safety for the Presidential and Vice-\ Presidential candidates and their families,” Guglielmi continued. 

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The Secret Service has been under intense scrutiny after a 20-year-old man named Thomas Crooks was able to climb up on the roof of a building with an AR-15 rifle and shoot Trump and others.

Thomas Matthew Crooks crawling on a roof moments before he attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump

Thomas Matthew Crooks crawling on a roof moments before he attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump. (DJ Laughery (background))

It all happened at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, that was crawling with local police and Secret Service. 

The stunning lapse in security caused the director of the Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle, to resign.

A still image from James Copenhaver's video

A new video from James Copenhaver, one of the victims critically wounded in a July 13 assassination attempt against former President Trump, shows a figure moving across a rooftop just minutes before gunfire rang out at Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. (James Copenhaver)

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Guglielmi said the Secret Service relies on “federal, state, and local partners to assist with protective operations.” He did not provide any further details on how the DOD would be helping the agency.

The DOD said it had no additional information to provide when reached by Fox News Digital.