The US Secret Service has been criticised after it admitted that it had rejected requests for additional security staff for Donald Trump in the two years leading up to his assassination attempt. It had previously denied this.

The agency has been under intense scrutiny since a gunman opened fire on Trump from a rooftop while the former president was speaking at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. The former president was left with a bloodied EA. One of his supporters was killed and two others were seriously wounded before the gunman was fatally shot by Secret Service agents.

Shortly after the shooting, the Secret Service denied allegations that it had rejected requests for additional resources from Trump’s detail.

“There is a false allegation that a member of the former President’s team requested additional security and was denied. This is absolutely false,” Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesman for the Secret Service, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, the day after the shooting.

Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, who has faced calls to resign, repeated the denial in a meeting with Trump campaign leaders on Monday, The Washington Post reported, citing sources familiar with the discussions.

Guglielmi has now acknowledged that some of Trump’s requests for details were denied. He told the After that the Secret Service had received new information indicating that agency headquarters may have rejected calls for more assistance.

“The Secret Service has a broad, dynamic and complex mission,” Guglielmi said in a statement to Newsweek on Sunday. “Every day, we operate in a dynamic threat environment to ensure our protected individuals are safe and secure during multiple events, travel and other challenging environments. We execute a comprehensive and layered strategy to balance personnel, technology and specialized operational needs.”

He added that in some cases “where specific specialized Secret Service units or resources were not provided, the agency made changes to ensure the safety of the protected person. This may include using state or local partners to provide specialized functions or otherwise identifying alternatives to reduce the public exposure of a protected person.”

The Trump campaign has been contacted by email for comment.

The reports sparked anger among Trump’s allies and supporters.

Former President Donald Trump Jr.’s eldest son accused the Secret Service of lying on social media.

“Oh, so the top brass of the USSS lied!” Trump Jr. wrote on X, alongside a screenshot of the After‘s report which included some comments from Gugliemi.

“They blatantly denied something they could have verified in two seconds, but after a commotion they turned around and told the truth a week later about a simple request for more manpower for my father’s department. Why would we try to hide that easily ascertainable fact?”

“Cheatle lied to us,” Florida Sen. Rick Scott wrote on X in response to the After‘s report.

“She must hold an immediate press conference, tell the truth and provide all available information, and then resign. If she refuses, @POTUS must fire her tomorrow.”

Congressman Darrell Issa, a Republican from California, wrote that the Secret Service “lied and President Trump nearly died.”

Congresswoman Majorie Taylor Greene, a close Trump ally, wrote: “Why did the Secret Service deny President Trump additional protection and resources? They asked for two years.”

Others criticized Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who said on CNN Monday that the accusation that he had made denials was “an unfounded and irresponsible statement and it is flat out false.”

The popular right-wing End Wokeness account wrote: “DHS Secretary Mayorkas said he did NOT reject any requests for more protection from Trump. He called it baseless and false. Turns out he lied. This man belongs in jail.”