Staff Reports
In a stunning revelation from Senate investigators, it appears that most of the Secret Service agents involved in the advance security planning for former President Donald Trump’s July 13 rally were blissfully unaware of a credible assassination threat from Iran. With 12 Secret Service employees interviewed as part of the investigation into this potential plot, only two agents were in the loop about the danger just days before Trump took the stage in Pennsylvania. Apparently, the wheels of government security do not always turn quickly, especially when there’s an urgent need to protect a former president.
The agency seemed to operate under a cloud of confusion, as one of the agents who had access to classified information about the threat admitted he was not part of the security planning for the event. It seems like there was so much information flowing freely, yet very little made its way to those responsible for protecting Trump. If this were a sitcom, it would be titled “Secret Service Shenanigans,” and viewers would be rolling their eyes at the absurdity of government ineptitude.
Secret Service agents reveal intelligence-sharing failures ahead of fateful July 13 Butler rallyhttps://t.co/CYiOEzebQB pic.twitter.com/nhHHB6t2Br
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) October 7, 2024
In a plot twist worthy of a political thriller, it turned out that the real danger was not just theoretical. A 20-year-old gunman, identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, took it upon himself to attack Trump during that rally. He was eliminated by a quick-thinking Secret Service counter sniper who certainly had to be wondering whether they were the A-team of security or just the last line of defense against poorly planned threats. The big question hanging over the agency is whether they could handle a serious threat from trained assassins sent by Iran. Given their track record, one might question whether they could stop a guy with a slingshot.
The Justice Department’s recent enforcement actions didn’t exactly inspire confidence either. Just days before Trump’s rally, the FBI nabbed a Pakistani national with Iranian ties who was allegedly involved in a murder-for-hire plot targeting U.S. officials. News of that arrest apparently reached many Secret Service employees only after the rally, leaving them to ponder how forewarned they could have been — because knowing about an assassination plot ahead of time is apparently just too much to ask of federal agents.
While one would think that an American president — or even a former president running for election — would be a top-priority target to monitor closely, the disarray within the Secret Service suggests otherwise. It begs the question: Are they operating on a shoestring budget or just not valuing good intelligence? Underlining this point, the sonorous voice of the former protective operations director echoed with the sentiment that intelligence must inform operations. Yet, at least for the Butler rally, it seemed to have been treated like a poorly kept secret, leaving agents wondering if they should have considered a bubble wrap option for Trump’s protection.
Now, with the Senate committee recommending that agents be fully briefed on any and all relevant threats, one can only hope this advice makes its way to the ranks. It’s hard not to chuckle at the irony in a world where someone like Trump, who has always been portrayed as having a target on his back, is left unprotected, while the agency faces the rather brutal reality of its own shortcomings. Perhaps this is a little wake-up call for everyone involved, reminding them that terrorism and assassination attempts are no laughing matter — unless, of course, one is watching the bureaucratic comedy unfold in real-time.
