3 months ago
15
The
Secret Service
described its security measures as "textbook" after thwarting an
assassination attempt
on former President Donald Trump over the weekend. Acting Director
Ronald Rowe Jr
praised the swift action of an agent who fired at the suspect immediately upon identifying a weapon’s barrel, as reported by Politico.
"The Secret Service’s protective methodologies work, and they are sound and we saw that yesterday," Rowe said during a press conference.
He noted that Trump was "several hundred yards and several holes away" from the suspect, and no shots were fired at the agents.
Palm Beach County Sheriff
Ric Bradshaw assured that the security at
Mar-a-Lago
remains at its highest level, and added his office’s full support. Bradshaw spoke to Trump, who reportedly "feels safe."
Talking about secret service's work, Rowe highlighted that numerous significant occasions following the initial assassination attempt against Trump had taken place without any security incidents. These events included the Republican and Democratic National Conventions, the visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington, DC, and the presidential debate held in Philadelphia.
According to Rowe, the workload and heightened requirements following the attempted assassination of Trump in Pennsylvania in July had driven his agents to the point of exhaustion. "The men and women of the Secret Service — we are redlining them, and they are rising to this moment, he said” “The Secret Service operates under a paradox: zero-fail mission, but also that we have done more with less for decades. This goes back many, many decades,” Rowe added later.
Ryan Routh
, 58, was charged with possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and with an obliterated serial number. He appeared in a West Palm Beach federal court where Judge Ryon McCabe ordered him held without bond until a September 23 hearing.
Authorities stated Routh may have waited for nearly 12 hours outside Trump’s golf course near Mar-a-Lago. The visit was unplanned, and security followed a "layered approach," as mentioned by Rowe. Despite the quick response, Rowe stressed the need to shift from a "reactive model" to a "readiness model" and discussed needing additional resources.
Investigations revealed Routh as a subject of a previously closed 2019 tip related to firearm possession. FBI agent Jeffrey Veltri stated they are looking into Routh’s background, including his social media and communications.
This was the second attempt on Trump, after the gunman incident in Pennsylvania in July, which killed an audience member. The Secret Service faced a lot of criticism at the time which ultimately led to the resignation of director
Kimberly Cheatle
.
