No evidence Mayorkas denied security requests ahead of Trump rally | Fact check

Hannah Hudnall, USA TODAY
Updated ·4 min read
16

The claim: Alejandro Mayorkas denied requests for additional security at Trump rally

A July 14 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) shows a picture of Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas with the word "failure" written across the top in red.

"According to multiple sources Biden’s Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was asked multiple times recently to send more agents to Protect Trump, and he failed to act," reads part of the post's caption.

Florida Rep. Mike Waltz, also claimed in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that he had "very reliable sources" who said Mayorkas denied "repeated requests" for security.

The Instagram post garnered more than 8,000 likes in a day. Another version of the claim linking Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to the supposed denial of additional security was shared on Threads.

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Our rating: False

Though the Secret Service said it has denied some Trump security requests in recent yers, the agency, Mayorkas and the FBI said no requests were denied leading up to the July 13 rally. Those making this claim have not provided evidence to substantiate it.

No requests for additional protection

The FBI is investigating the shooting incident at former President Donald Trump's July 13 rally as an assassination attempt. The gunman, who was shot and killed by Secret Service agents, fired at the stage from a building rooftop about 150 yards away, outside the rally's security perimeter, leaving Trump with a wounded ear.

Some social media users questioned how the shooter reached the rooftop without being stopped by security, while others went so far as to claim the Department of Homeland Security denied requests for added protection. The department oversees the Secret Service.

Mayorkas dismissed the rumor in an ABC News interview on July 15.

"That is an unequivocally false assertion," he said regarding the supposed denial. "We had enhanced security for the former president, beginning at least in June. We had not received any requests for additional security measures that were rebuffed."

Anthony Guglielmi, a Secret Service spokesperson, also debunked the claim the day after the shooting on X.

"There's an untrue assertion that a member of the former President’s team requested additional security resources & that those were rebuffed," Guglielmi's post reads. "This is absolutely false. In fact, we added protective resources & technology & capabilities as part of the increased campaign travel tempo."

Fact check: Officials identified Trump shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks, not Mark Violets

Kevin Rojek, the FBI special agent in charge of the Pittsburgh office, similarly refuted the rumor in a July 13 press conference.

"There was no additional request for security that was ever denied by the FBI," he said.

Guglielmi later told The Washington Post that the Secret Service had learned new information indicating the agency’s headquarters may have denied some requests for additional security from Trump’s team in the past. There's no evidence the agency denied requests for Trump's July 13 rally, however.

Guglielmi told USA TODAY that in some instances where specific agency units or resources are not provided, alternatives such as using state or local law enforcement are coordinated instead.

None of the posts making the claims provided any evidence to back them up. Waltz did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment.

Mayorkas himself called the incident a security "failure" on CNN Monday and said an independent investigation would determine which changes need to be made in response. Cheatle on Monday released a statement that her department would participate fully in such an investigation but didn't say anything about denying requests for increased security.

USA TODAY reached out to Trump's campaign and the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: No security requests for Trump rally denied, FBI says | Fact check

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