Conservative legal group America First Legal filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Secret Service for information regarding the first assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump.
The lawsuit seeks an explanation for how Thomas Crooks was able to “fire a relatively simple shot that came within an inch of killing President Trump and struck fellow Americans.”
Gene Hamilton, AFL’s Executive Director, said in a statement, “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.”
AFL requested documents relating to Secret Service staffing shortages, employment standards, communications, and calendars.
The Secret Service told the legal group in July that it would not process its FOIA requests due to the lack of “threat to the life or safety of anyone and that there was no urgency to inform the public about government activity,” AFL wrote in a press release.
“Just a few days ago, another assassin attempted to take President Trump’s life in Florida,” AFL added. “There is no denying that President Trump currently faces genuine threats, and AFL’s requests would help to ensure that USSS and DHS leadership are sufficiently trained and staffed to ensure the safety of President Trump.”
