#jillbiden

The U.S. Secret Service has firmly rejected allegations that resources were diverted from protecting former President Donald Trump during a recent campaign rally, in order to provide security for First Lady Jill Biden. The controversy arose following claims made by Susan Crabtree of RealClearPolitics, who reported on social media that unnamed sources within the Secret Service suggested a shift in resources.

According to Crabtree, the sources indicated that the Secret Service's protective detail for Trump, who was shot during the rally, was compromised due to the diversion of resources to Jill Biden's event. Crabtree claimed that the reallocation was in line with agency protocols for former presidents and noted that supplemental agents from different field offices were used to cover Trump’s rally, citing overwork among Trump’s regular detail and a limited number of counter-snipers.

“The problem my Secret Sources have cited is that Secret Service resources were diverted to Jill Biden's event and away from Trump’s rally because they followed agency protocol applying to Trump as a former president,” Crabtree wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “There were also many supplemental agents from different field offices (not Trump's regular detail) providing security at the rally because Trump's regular detail has been overworked (some working 7 days straight), and only two counter-snipers… Who made the decision to divert the resources to Jill Biden’s event?”

In response, Anthony Guglielmi, the Secret Service’s chief of communications, issued a statement refuting Crabtree’s claims. Guglielmi asserted that the allegations were unfounded, emphasizing that resource allocation does not function as described. “We did not divert resources from FPOTUS Trump & protection models don’t work that way,” Guglielmi stated. He further explained that the additional agents mentioned by Crabtree were part of the candidate nominee operations teams, which are routinely deployed during election years to handle increased security demands due to heavy travel schedules.

The Secret Service’s rebuttal aimed to clarify that their protocols and resource management were adhered to appropriately, and no procedural changes were made that would have affected the security of former President Trump. The agency’s statement underscores the challenges and complexities involved in ensuring the safety of high-profile individuals amidst ongoing political events and heightened security demands.