Trump rally attack sparks security probe, questions Secret Service
As a former president, Donald Trump is entitled to the most professional protection that individuals holding the highest office in the country can expect. Since the assassination attempt, questions have been multiplying about how this was allowed to happen. Republicans have announced their intent to investigate.
9:51 AM EDT, July 14, 2024
In the first hours after the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, numerous thanks were expressed to the Secret Service agents protecting him. Both Trump, President Joe Biden, and Vice President Kamala Harris extended their gratitude.
However, shortly afterward, voices began to grow louder that the Secret Service had compromised itself during the rally in Pennsylvania and committed many significant errors.
"Fundamental failure"
Steve Nottingham, a former SWAT commander, called the shooting at the rally in Pennsylvania a "fundamental failure in security." Jim Cavanaugh, a retired special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives who has participated in Secret Service operations, expressed surprise that the shooter was able to get on the platform and take a position for such a shot from a rifle, according to NBC News.
The Secret Service is a federal agency funded by taxpayers. The protection it provides is very costly because its agents are top-notch professionals, and protecting high-profile politicians is a complex and challenging operation.
Agents are with presidents and former presidents during their public appearances and start working long before politicians appear at rallies and other events, utilizing professional, expensive equipment.
Millions for former presidents' protection
Donald Trump ceased to be president in January 2021. However, as a former president, he is still entitled to the most professional protection that politicians holding the highest office in the country can expect, provided by the Secret Service.
He received this protection back in 2015 when he became a presidential candidate (candidates are also entitled to it). Previously, he relied on private security firms.
American law guarantees that the Secret Service will protect every former president for life. It also covers spouses and children of former presidents, but only until the children turn 16. The Secret Service protects children during their father's term but not afterward.
When Donald Trump left the White House, he requested that protection for his adult children be extended for another six months. At the time, "The Washington Post" reported that this included Ivanka Trump and her husband, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, and their wives, and Trump's youngest daughter, Tiffany Trump. The cost? $1.7 million, or about $1.7 million. It is worth noting that other former presidents, such as Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, did the same.
According to the non-governmental organization Crew (Citizens For Responsibility and Ethics in Washington), in January 2021 alone, the first month after Donald Trump left the White House, American taxpayers paid $140,000, or over $140,000 for his children's travels alone.
The cost of such protection is well illustrated by the example of two former Trump national security advisors who—although no longer working in the White House—received protection due to potential threats from Iran. As CBS reported in February 2024, a year of such protection cost more than $12 million.
In June, American media reported that the Secret Service was increasing the number of agents assigned to Donald Trump "to ensure the highest level of security not only at event venues but also during travel between events," explained agency spokesman Anthony Guglielmi.
Assassination attempt on Donald Trump: what is already known?
At an election rally in Pennsylvania, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks fired shots at Donald Trump while he was speaking on stage. Trump was grazed by a bullet. As a result of the attack, one rally attendee died, and another was seriously injured. The assailant was shot dead. A semi-automatic AR-15 rifle was found next to his body. The shooter's motive is not yet known.
The incident occurred two days before the Republican National Convention, at which Trump will be officially announced as the Republican Party's presidential candidate.
Reuters reported on Sunday that Republicans have already announced their intent to launch an investigation into the security lapses at the election rally in Pennsylvania. The head of the Secret Service has been summoned for a special congressional hearing on July 22.
Representatives of the FBI and the Secret Service and officials from the Department of Homeland Security are to be questioned.
