The details emerging about the second attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump continue to be deeply troubling. Among the most alarming revelations in the initial days following the attempt is that Ryan Wesley Routh, the would-be assassin, had been hiding along the fence with a loaded rifle near Trump's golf course for a full 12 hours before he was discovered.
This was despite law enforcement officials claiming that “increased assets directed by President Biden” included “counter-sniper team elements, counter-surveillance agents on the exterior, counter-assault teams in partnership with local tactical assets from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, and counter-unmanned aerial system elements.” With such extensive resources in place, why did it take 12 hours for authorities to spot Routh?
It was perhaps more luck than anything that a Secret Service agent managed to thwart the alleged attacker by firing at him. Now, new revelations from whistleblowers are raising alarm bells about the security coverage surrounding Trump. It’s becoming increasingly apparent that there are serious issues with the current security measures.
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On Wednesday night, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) appeared on Jesse Watters’ show on Fox News and disclosed that the whistleblowers reported that the Secret Service has previously protected that golf course "many times in the past," was previously aware of its most vulnerable points, and typically put people there.
"Well, what we've heard, Jesse, from new whistleblowers who have come forward about this second assassination attempt on Donald Trump's life, and here's what they had told us," he began.
"That golf course that the President was playing, Secret Service have guarded that course many, many times," he added. "And what the whistleblower says is protocol calls for Secret Service to station agents along the places in the course that are known vulnerabilities."
Hawley emphasized again that the Secret Service has guarded Trump's golf course many times before and knew where the vulnerabilities were.
"They normally station agents there ahead of Trump's appearance on the course, but they apparently did not do that this last weekend," Hawley continued. "And the whistleblowers tell me that's strange, that's out of protocol. It's not even clear Secret Service swept the perimeter before Trump took to the course—also a [...] breach [of] protocol—and they want to know why, and so do I."
Hawley added, "I think the Secret Service deserves to get us answers."
BREAKING: Whistleblowers tell Senator Josh Hawley that “it’s not even clear Secret Service swept the perimeter before Trump took to the course.”
— The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) September 19, 2024
That’s a massive and inexcusable failure.
But that’s just the beginning of the problems that unfolded. Whistleblowers also revealed… pic.twitter.com/XyDJDWVY1a
It's standard protocol to check the perimeter and station personnel at vulnerable points, and the Secret Service knows about these critical spots. Yet on this occasion, they didn't when the suspect was lying in wait for twelve hours. How is it possible that such a failure occurred, especially so soon after the previous failed assassination attempt in Butler, Pa.?
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