A Republican House lawmaker alleges that Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas repeatedly denied enhanced Secret Service protection for former President Trump.
Rep. Mike Waltz, Republican of Florida, made the accusation hours after Trump was shot at his rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
“I have very reliable sources who tell me that there have been repeated requests for enhanced Secret Service protection for President Trump. Secretary Mayorkas has refused them,” Waltz wrote on X.
The House Homeland Security Committee plans to investigate reports that Trump was denied enhanced Secret Service protection ahead of the rally, a source told Fox News Digital.
TRUMP RETURNS TO PENNSYLVANIA FOR PRE-CONVENTION RALLY IN SWING STATE
Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump gestures with a bloodied face as several gunshots ring out during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania, U.S., July 13, 2024. (REUTERS/Brendan McDermid)
“The Committee has also reviewed these reports and will conduct extensive oversight of what happened leading up to and immediately following the attempted assassination of President Trump. Clearly, such reports are deeply troubling and require investigation,” the source said.
One rallygoer was killed and two others were wounded after a gunman opened fire at the former president’s campaign rally, the Secret Service said in a statement. The gunman was also killed.
Waltz, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, declined to elaborate on his comments when Fox News Digital reached out to his office.
Fox News Digital has also reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment.
Rep. Mike Waltz accused Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas of denying Trump more security (Getty Images)
That comes on top of House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., publicly calling on Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheadle to testify publicly before his panel.
“The Oversight Committee will send an official invitation soon,” he wrote on X.
Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesman for the US Secret Service, told X: “There is a false claim that a member of the former president’s team requested additional security resources and that they were denied. This is absolutely false. In fact, we have added resources, technology and protective capabilities as part of the increased tempo of campaign travel.”
Hours after the shooting, Trump released a statement thanking law enforcement and expressing his condolences to the deceased.
SOFTENING OF ABORTION LANGUAGE IN TRUMP-ENDORSED REGIONAL PLATFORM IRRITATES SOME SOCIAL CONSERVATIVES
Rep. Mike Waltz is a member of the House Intelligence Committee. (Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“I want to thank the United States Secret Service and all law enforcement for their swift response to the shooting that just took place in Butler, Pennsylvania. Most importantly, I want to offer my condolences to the family of the person who was killed at the rally, as well as the family of another person who was seriously injured,” Trump wrote.
“It is unbelievable that such an act could happen in our country. We know nothing at this stage about the shooter, who is now deceased. I was hit by a bullet that pierced my right ear. I knew right away that something was wrong, I heard a whistling sound, gunshots, and I immediately felt the bullet pierce my skin. There was a lot of bleeding, that’s when I understood what was happening.”
