The America First Legal Foundation filed a lawsuit Thursday afternoon against the United States Secret Service and the Department of Homeland Security, accusing the agencies of “illegally concealing government records” by slow-walking Freedom of Information Act requests it filed in July and August following the first attempted assassination of Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump.
According to the lawsuit obtained by Blaze News, AFL opened an investigation into the deadly Butler, Pennsylvania, shooting on July 13. As part of its probe into the USSS’ preparedness and response to the attack, AFL submitted several information requests to the DHS.
‘Widespread and bipartisan acknowledgment that there were catastrophic failures.’
The agencies were asked to produce documents and records regarding communications on the day of the assassination attempt, calendar entries for some USSS and DHS personnel in the month leading up to the incident, and USSS’ hiring and employment standards and staffing levels.
According to the complaint, all of the submitted FOIAs requested “expedited processing on the grounds that ‘[c]ircumstances in which the lack of expedited processing could reasonably be expected to pose an imminent threat to the life or physical safety of [President Trump]'” and noted that there was also “an urgency to inform the public about an actual or alleged federal government activity, if made by a person who is primarily engaged in disseminating information.”
AFL noted in its lawsuit that it received a letter from the USSS denying its request for expedited processing of information regarding the agency’s staffing level.
The USSS allegedly told AFL that it had not “demonstrated that there is a threat to the life or physical safety of an individual nor [had AFL] demonstrated there is a particular urgency to inform the public about the government activity involved in the request, beyond the public’s right to know about government activity, generally.”
“Your letter was conclusory, in nature, and did not present any facts to justify a grant of expedited processing under the applicable standards,” the agency reportedly responded.
On September 15, after the USSS told AFL that it failed to demonstrate that there was an imminent safety threat, a second attempt was made on Trump’s life at his Florida golf course.
AFL Executive Director Gene Hamilton stated, “On July 13, the American people watched in horror as a lunatic attempted to assassinate former President, and current candidate for President, Donald Trump. Today, there is widespread and bipartisan acknowledgment that there were catastrophic failures that tragic day and in the weeks and months ahead of it.”
“We are committed to obtaining these records so that the American people can see for themselves exactly what senior DHS leadership was prioritizing in its mission, and why more resources were not devoted to the protection of President Donald J. Trump,” Hamilton added.
The USSS told Blaze News, “As a matter of longstanding policy, the U.S. Secret Service does not comment on pending or proposed litigation.”
The DHS did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.
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