Former Secret Service agent and conservative commentator Dan Bongino has revealed explosive new details about the security breach that led to the near-assassination of former President Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania rally. Speaking to the Daily Wire, Bongino cited an "unimpeachable source" claiming that a local police counter-sniper team failed to show up for the event.

Bongino told Ben Shapiro that while two Secret Service counter-sniper teams were present, an additional local police unit was supposed to be stationed but never arrived. This absence, Bongino suggests, explains the Secret Service's initial attempts to shift blame onto local authorities.

Bongino alleges that the Biden White House and Department of Homeland Security have ordered Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to remain silent about the security lapse or face dismissal. He claims Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is "vigorously" defending Cheatle, knowing "she has all the cookies in the cookie jar."

EXCLUSIVE: @DBongino provides shocking new revelations about USSS failures in attempted assassination of Former President Trump - including that WH told Cheatle she needs to 'shut her mouth or she's out' pic.twitter.com/g2iwKDPNhM

— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) July 17, 2024

The former agent criticized the Secret Service's handling of the situation, particularly the decision to allow Trump on stage despite an open threat. Bongino emphasized the "golden rule" of executive protection: "When a threat presents itself, you get off the 'X'." He questioned why Trump wasn't kept in a holding room when the gunman was spotted using a rangefinder 19 minutes before the former president took the stage.

“The guy was using a rangefinder at 5:41 p.m.,” he said. “Trump didn’t walk on stage till 6. They have a holding room, Ben, at every site. It’s called the holding room for a reason. It’s a very sophisticated thing, Ben. Get ready. You know why? Because they hold the president there when something’s amiss.”

As investigations into the security failure continue, Bongino's revelations raise serious questions about the coordination between local and federal law enforcement, as well as potential political interference in the aftermath of the attack.