America First Legal (AFL) has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), alleging illegal concealment of government records related to the first assassination attempt on President Trump in Pennsylvania in July.
On July 16, 2024, AFL initiated expedited investigations into federal activities surrounding the incident on July 13, 2024. These investigations included multiple requests for information. Despite requesting expedited processing and meeting all legal standards for such proceedings, AFL has not received any records.
In July, USSS informed AFL that it would not process its FOIA request regarding staffing shortages on an expedited basis, citing no threat to life or safety and no urgency to inform the public about government activity. However, USSS granted another FOIA request from AFL with identical justifications.
Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) expressed frustration over DHS's response: “I am reaching the point of total outrage because the response from the Department of Homeland Security has been totally lacking. In fact, I think it’s tantamount to stonewalling in many respects.” Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) highlighted a whistleblower report detailing USSS failures related to the assassination attempt: “To date, Secret Service and DHS have provided virtually no answers, and there remain many outstanding questions.” Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI), Ranking Member of HSGAC Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), stated: “[The] toxicology report; we don’t have any of the trajectory reports. So, where’d the bullets go? We don’t even know how they handled the crime scene.”
Recently, another assassination attempt on President Trump occurred in Florida. AFL argues that these incidents underscore genuine threats to President Trump's safety and emphasize their need for transparency from USSS and DHS leadership.
Gene Hamilton, Executive Director of America First Legal, commented: “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,” said Gene Hamilton.