Show-Me State Times

U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) has called on Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to declassify all documents related to the July 13, 2024, assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.

In a letter sent to Secretary Noem, Hawley emphasized the need for transparency following the one-year anniversary of the incident. “I write to you following the one-year anniversary of the first assassination attempt against President Donald J. Trump. This occasion marks a deeply troubling chapter in our nation’s history and serves as a reminder of the importance of transparency in preserving public trust during moments of national crisis. To that end, I urge you to take the necessary steps to declassify all documents within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) related to the events of July 13, 2024,” Senator Hawley wrote.

Hawley has previously addressed concerns about government transparency regarding this event. In September 2024, he released a 22-page whistleblower report outlining failures by the United States Secret Service connected to the attempted assassination.

The letter further states: “As you know, assassination attempts against current and former presidents are rare but profoundly consequential events in American life. And the American people rightly expect full transparency from their government. Unfortunately, the Secret Service and DHS under your predecessor stonewalled numerous congressional investigations—including my own—and denied the American people basic facts. The public learned far more from whistleblowers than they did from public officials, and I released a report documenting these disclosures, many of which have been corroborated to date.”

Hawley referenced legislative efforts in October 2024 when his bill requiring release of relevant Secret Service documents passed unanimously in committee. He urged Secretary Noem to immediately declassify and release all documents related to the attempt on Trump’s life “within the full extent of your authority, subject only to the narrowest possible redactions necessary to protect ongoing operations or individual safety.”

He concluded: “The public deserves a full and accurate account of this event, the circumstances that allowed it to happen, and the steps the government has taken since to strengthen protective measures. To that end, and to advance congressional oversight work, I request that you provide the following by July 30, 2025:

1. A complete inventory of all classified or non-public materials related to the first assassination attempt on President Trump, including reports, internal communications, threat assessments, after-action reviews, and coordination records with other agencies.

2. A formal explanation for the continued classification of any materials you believe must remain restricted.

3. A proposed plan and timeline for the immediate declassification and public release of all remaining documents, with minimal redactions.”