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The location for President Donald Trump’s Saturday rally in Wisconsin was changed over security concerns related to Secret Service staffing, according to a new report.
A senior official shared the details behind the change in a statement to The Hill on Friday.
“The agency was never configured to provide such an elevated level of protection for an increasing number of protectees. Our personnel and equipment are being pushed to their limits to sustain the current operational tempo,” the senior official said.
“This proposed Wisconsin event also took place during the United Nations General Assembly, where the Secret Service is responsible for the safety and security of over 140 world leaders amid a challenged global threat level,” the senior official noted.
The Trump campaign website lists the event as scheduled for the Prairie du Chien Area Arts Center. The updated venue is smaller than the previous plans to hold the event outdoors at an area airport.
The lack of Secret Service personnel available was reportedly also impacted by the United Nations General Assembly taking place in New York, according to NBC News.
An unnamed official also mentioned the related security issues with the U.N. when commenting on the changes related to the Trump event.
“Our personnel and equipment are being pushed to their limits to sustain the current operational tempo,” the official said.
“This proposed Wisconsin event also took place during the United Nations General Assembly, where the Secret Service is responsible for the safety and security of over 140 world leaders amid a challenged global threat level,” the official added.
The changes also come as a bipartisan task force investigating the assassination attempt against Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, held a hearing on Thursday. The meeting cited failures by the Secret Service as contributing to Thomas Crooks obtaining roof access ahead of the shooting.
As RSBN previously reported, Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., chairman of the task force behind the July 13 shooting, expressed the concerns in his opening statement during the committee’s first hearing on Thursday.
“In the days leading up to the rally, it was not a single mistake that allowed Crooks to outmaneuver one of our country’s most elite group of security professionals,” Kelly said. “There were security failures on multiple fronts.”