Northeast
Whistleblower accuses acting Secret Service director of reducing counter surveillance before Trump shooting
BUTLER, Pa. – A whistleblower told Republican Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley that Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr. personally directed cuts to the Counter Surveillance Division (CSD), which led to the threat assessment team failing to perform its typical duties prior to the Butler, Pennsylvania rally.
The senator’s report comes after lawmakers grilled agency leaders on the mounting security failures at the Pennsylvania rally where former President Trump narrowly escaped assassination.
The whistleblower alleged that the Secret Service CSD, the division that performs threat assessment of event sites before the event occurs, did not perform its evaluation prior to the fateful rally in Western Pennsylvania on July 13.
“This is significant because CSD’s duties include evaluating potential security threats outside the security perimeter and mitigating those threats during the event,” Hawley wrote in a letter to Rowe on Thursday.
TRUMP SHOOTING: TIMELINE OF ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT
Senators grilled Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr. and FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate about the events leading up to the July 13 attempted assassination of former U.S. President Donald Trump. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
The whistleblower further alleged that if the CSD performed their normal duties, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks “would have been handcuffed in the parking lot.”
SENATORS ACCUSE SECRET SERVICE OF TRYING TO MAKE LOCAL POLICE A ‘SCAPEGOAT’ FOLLOWING TRUMP RALLY SHOOTING
“The whistleblower claims that if personnel from CSD had been present at the rally, the gunman would have been handcuffed in the parking lot after being spotted with a rangefinder,” Hawley wrote to Rowe. “You acknowledged in your Senate testimony that the American Glass Research complex should have been included in the security perimeter for the Butler event.”
“The whistleblower alleges that because CSD was not present in Butler, this manifest shortcoming was never properly flagged or mitigated,” he said.
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is covered by U.S. Secret Service agents at a campaign rally, Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Hawley’s office also revealed Rowe’s alleged personal involvement in cutting staffing to CSD.
“The whistleblower further alleges that you personally directed significant cuts to CSD, up to and including reducing the division’s manpower by twenty percent,” Hawley said. “You did not mention this in your Senate testimony when asked directly to explain manpower reductions.”
Sen. Josh Hawley released a report on Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr.’s alleged involvement in the staffing at Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Rowe also contributed to a cultural problem at the organization, the whistleblower claimed, saying that retaliation was threatened to those who raised security concerns.
“The whistleblower also alleges retaliation against those within the Secret Service who expressed concern about the security at President Trump’s events,” Hawley said. “The whistleblower claims that following an event with the former President at a golf tournament in August of last year, Secret Service personnel present expressed serious concern that the Secret Service’s use of local law enforcement was not adequate for security needs: local law enforcement were not properly trained for the event or otherwise prepared to execute the tasks given them.”
“Further, Secret Service personnel expressed alarm that individuals were admitted to the event without vetting,” he said. “The whistleblower alleges that those who raised such concerns were retaliated against.”
TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT PUTS SECRET SERVICE FUNDING IN QUESTION: AMERICANS ‘DESERVE ANSWERS’
In a statement to Fox News Digital, the Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said that they will respond to Hawley’s requests.
“We respect the Senator and the role of oversight and will respond to the request through official channels,” Guglielmi said.
An aerial image shows investigators surveying the area of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania on Thursday, July 25, 2024. (Fox Flight Team )
Approximately 90 minutes passed between the time law enforcement officials first identified a suspicious person near the rally grounds.
Officials temporarily lost sight of the suspicious person, but then around 5:52 p.m. a sniper spotted Crooks, which was about 20 minutes before gunfire rang out.
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Boston, MA
Aroldis Chapman Trade Rumors Heating Up for Struggling Red Sox
Will the Boston Red Sox cut ties with Aroldis Chapman before the 2026 Major League Baseball trade deadline?
That’s going to be the biggest question hanging over the organization ahead of the deadline if the Red Sox aren’t able to fully turn their season around. After taking down the New York Yankees on Friday, Boston has a 27-35 record. The Red Sox’s contest against the Yankees was postponed on Saturday and the two American League East rivals will conclude their brief series at Yankee Stadium on Sunday.
Boston clearly has a lot of work to do right now. With the club currently struggling in the standings, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale wrote that Chapman is “expected” to join his eighth different team this summer and get moved.
What Will Boston Do With Aroldis Chapman?
“Boston Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman is expected to join his eighth different team, and potentially be in the postseason with his sixth different team,” Nightengale wrote. “He is the top reliever available on every contender’s target list, converting 28 consecutive saves dating back to last season, one shy of his career record.”
If the Red Sox are eight games below .500 at the beginning of August, like they are now, then this idea unfortunately, would make sense. But it’s important to note that on Saturday, The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey reported that Boston has fielded calls on Chapman, Justin Slaten, and Garrett Whitlock but has told teams that the trio currently isn’t available. The idea of Chapman being moved is fully contingent on whether the Red Sox can make progress in the standings over the next two months.
Right now, the Red Sox are just three games out of an American League Wild Card spot, so it’s not the craziest idea in the world to believe they can make up some ground here. Plus, let’s not forget that some point Garrett Crochet and Roman Anthony will be able to return.
So, right now, the Red Sox are in a tough spot, which gives some life to Nightengale’s point, but it’s still a bit too early to fully jump to conclusions. If the Red Sox can go on a little run, then all of a sudden the perception will shift around Boston. If not, then the club will end up getting a haul in exchange for Chapman if the club actually does end up moving him before the deadline.
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Pittsburg, PA
Three dead, one injured in house fire in Mercer County
Three people have died as a result of a house fire earlier this week in Mercer County.
According to the City of Sharon Bureau of Police, a fire on Friday at a home on Sherman Avenue sent four people to the hospital. At the time of the transport, three of the four people taken to the hospital were in critical condition.
On Sunday morning, police said that three victims who were in critical condition died on Saturday evening from the injuries sustained in the fire.
The victims were identified as 38-year-old Sarah Jacobson and two children, Kevin and Izabella Jacobson.
“Our thoughts and prayers remain with the Jacobson family at this time of tragedy,” City of Sharon Chief of Police Edward Stabile said in a statement provided to KDKA-TV.
The fourth victim, according to police, is now listed as being in stable condition.
The fire happened at the home just after midnight on Friday morning, and the cause is still under investigation. Sharon police, along with the Pennsylvania State Police Fire Marshal, the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Sharon Fire Department, are all coordinating in the investigation.
Connecticut
Rocky Hill water main break closes road
ROCKY HILL, Conn. (WTNH) – A water main break in Rocky Hill Sunday morning will impact traffic for much of the day on Grimes Road.
According to Rocky Hill Police the break happened at approximately 7:10 a.m. in the area of 40 Grimes Road between Louis Place and Hillside Avenue. Motorists are advised to take alternatee routes and avoid the area.
The Metropolitan District Commission is on scene making repairs which could take up to 8 hours.
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