Trump assassination attempt: GOP senators push to strengthen protections for Secret Service whistleblowers

GOP lawmakers are demanding transparency about whistleblower protections in the ongoing investigation into the two assassination attempts against former President Trump.

In a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Ron Johnson, R-Wis., expressed concern after whistleblowers revealed that Secret Service employees were forced to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs). ).

The whistleblowers claimed they were forced to sign NDAs to access briefings on “sensitive reporting” relevant to their work protecting former President Trump.

The photos, shared in the letter to Mayorkas, showed screenshots sent to the Secret Service agents asking them to sign an NDA.

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Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas listens as President Biden speaks about an executive order in the East Room of the White House in Washington, June 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

The senators are now demanding that DHS disclose the scope of the NDAs and whether employees should sign the anti-gag language required by law.

In their letter, the senators referred to The Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act (WPEA).

The WPEA states that “no federal agency nondisclosure policy, form, agreement, or related document may be implemented or enforced unless it contains specific language notifying the employee of their rights to disclose waste, fraud, abuse, or misconduct to Congress, an Inspector General, or the Office of Special Counsel (OSC).”

Former President Trump is assisted by U.S. Secret Service personnel after gunfire erupted during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024. (Reuters/Brendan McDermid)

Senators Grassley and Johnson also requested that DHS provide the threat assessment used to justify sending the NDAs.

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They also asked the agency to share how the requirement changed and affected the protective details of Trump and any other government officials.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, attends a hearing on the attempted assassination of former President Trump convened by the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security committees in Washington, DC, July 30, 2024. (Allison Bailey/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

The senators emphasized the need for DHS to provide transparency regarding whistleblower rights.

“The importance of whistleblowers knowing their rights under the law cannot be overstated, and federal agencies should encourage their employees to disclose allegations of waste, fraud and abuse through all appropriate channels,” they said. “Federal agencies cannot hide their wrongdoing behind illegal non-disclosure policies and related actions.”

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Fox News Digital has reached out to DHS for comment.