Thank you, Baker!
Former Secret Service Agents Speak Out on Trump Assassination Attempt
Here is some of the article, not all of it:
A former fire chief who was attending the rally with his family was killed in the shooting. Two other rally attendees were also critically wounded.
Brian Gant, a former Secret Service agent who was active during the Obama administration, told The Epoch Times that the agents’ primary focus would be to seal off the area and remove Trump from danger immediately.
“Open-air rallies present significant security challenges, especially during a campaign year,” said Mr. Gant. “The advance team evaluates the event space to provide the best protection possible.”
“My first reaction when I saw the video was that I would have been surprised if a weapon was in the immediate vicinity,” said Mr. Gant. “The shot came from outside the security perimeter. Snipers usually do a great job seeing those people who seem out of place.”
“The Secret Service is a relatively small agency and depends heavily on local law enforcement to supplement its protection efforts,” said Mr. Gant. “I’m hopeful there will be an increase in security.”
President Trump then says, “Wait, wait. Let me get my shoes.”
Mr. James warns that those few seconds could have been the difference between life and death.
“I would have said ‘no,’ we’re moving now,’” said Mr. James. “If those initial shots were a distraction and there were four more people with guns, and now here comes the real attack, those extra five seconds could have been deadly. We wouldn’t have stopped for shoes, fist pumps, or anything else.”
Mr. James noted that the assassination attempt is the first legitimate attack on the life of a president since President Ronald Reagan was shot as he left the Hilton Hotel in Washington on March 30, 1981. “This moment in history is significant,” said Mr. James. “President Trump was half an inch away from losing his life. If this assassination attempt would have been successful, I don’t know who the Republicans would have put on stage this week at the convention.”
“These events are monsters for the Secret Service because your perimeter expands exponentially,” said Mr. James, who started his career during the Clinton administration and served through President Trump’s first year in office. “Even trying to block all the intersections for the motorcade could overwhelm Secret Service manpower. So, we have a true dependency and partnership with local law enforcement, pretty much not just in the United States, but everywhere we go in the world.”
While Tim Miller, a 30-year law enforcement and military professional, agrees with many of his fellow agents, he said there was a glaring hole in the security detail. Mr. Miller, who now leads Lionheart International Services, characterized the incident as a “big miss” by the Secret Service, suggesting significant oversights in the security arrangements.
“Agents need to consider every possible threat,“ he told The Epoch Times. ”It’s a problem that a building that was less than 150 yards away didn’t surface possible security vulnerabilities.”
The RNC is proceeding with its planned event from July 15–18. Over 4,000 law enforcement officers will be present, including 1,600 from the Milwaukee Police Department, 800 from other Wisconsin agencies, and 1,600 from out-of-state agencies. The Wisconsin National Guard has also been activated.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/security-experts-speak-out-on-trump-assassination-attempt-5686121