Laurel Lee Says Trump Rally Contained Obvious Security Breakdowns

Representative Laurel Lee (R-FL) appeared on Fox News to discuss the security failures at former President Donald Trump’s (R) campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania which nearly ended in a successful assassination attempt by a shooter from approximately 150 yards out.

Through investigations, it has been revealed that the Secret Service failed to properly collaborate with local law enforcement, leading to security breakdowns and eventually shots fired.

“One of the really key things about going to the site and seeing it is that you get the sense of exactly how small it is. This is not a large area. It's very rural. Even as a layperson, it's clear what the buildings are, what's in the area and what needs to be secured. So it really underscores just how inexplicable this catastrophic security failure was that this was allowed to happen,” said Rep. Lee.

She continued by stating that learning from this catastrophic event can help prevent even more chaos in the future for candidates of both parties.

“The other thing that is clear is that there were serious communication and coordination problems. State and local law enforcement are a big part of securing a site like this, of securing a rally. But it is evident from the investigation that we've been conducting already that there was a lack of communication and a lack of coordination,” said Lee. “So one of the things we want to be sure we do is understand how that fell apart because that's a key element to ensuring that this doesn't happen for future rallies, while these protectives are still out on the trail.”

These comments from Rep. Lee around the same time that Representative Cory Mills (R-FL) questioned the Secret Service’s motives heading into the rally in July.

"The question now becomes, why was the Secret Service setting this up for failure by not going forward and utilizing all of the available assets and resources to ensure the safety of former President Donald J. Trump?" Rep. Mills asked rhetorically.

The Florida Congressman noted that former Secret Service agent and political pundit Dan Bongino suggested the service's culture had been corrupted and, thus, the decision not to beef up Trump's security detail was political, which Mills agreed with.

"Look, this is a culture of a fostered DEI society, whereby they are not trying to send their best. I went through a plethora of lists since 2023 to 2024 of all of the failed and missed steps that have been taken by the Secret Service. So I can tell you it is a culture issue. It is DEI at heart, but this is either criminal gross negligence or purposeful intent, and that is what we are set out to actually find," Mills concluded.

Laurel Lee represents Florida’s 15^th Congressional District. Cory Mills, the 7^th.