The New York Times has published a visual investigation into the attempted assassination of Donald Trump that is absolutely unnerving. It’s impossible not to conclude that it could have been prevented; if it had, Corey Comperatore would still be alive. Here’s the video as well as the accompanying story. I’m pretty sure that both are free. And maybe it’s time to revisit The Washington Post’s Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of scandal at the Secret Service.
I’m not questioning the courage of either the Secret Service agents or of local police officers. What the Times’ reporting and other accounts are calling into question is their judgment. Their job is to anticipate and to act before the worst happens. In this case, the shooter was spotted ahead of time and flagged as suspicious — and then the Secret Service allowed the rally to go ahead after they lost sight of him. A police officer climbed up and spotted the shooter, by then wielding an assault rifle, only to fall back. Another opportunity to stop the rally.
Finally, a witness yelled out, “He’s on the roof! He’s got a gun!” By then, it was too late. From the Times report:
The call to let the rally go ahead while law enforcement looked for a potentially dangerous person is one of many Secret Service decisions now being called into question. The agency is also under scrutiny for allowing a building within a rifle’s range to be excluded from its secure perimeter, creating a blind spot close to the former president that the gunman exploited.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, the main criticism of the Secret Service was that they allowed Trump to pop back up and rally the crowd rather than hustling him off immediately. And yes, that was a significant failure given that no one could be sure that the shooter had been disabled (in fact, he’d been shot and killed by that point). But this never had to happen.
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A couple of additional questions.
Why has Trump Team chosen small outdoor venues? We know they lie about crowd sizes and indoor venues lend themselves to easy fact check. Are these venues chosen in deep Trump districts by Trump Team reckless and covering for small crowds?
Secret service relies on local law enforcement LLE to secure buildings. Was this LLE out of their league with SS taking the fall. Who in LLE was responsible for securing that building?
Also a warning for journalists the loathing and animosity towards Press by Trump Team. No medical info; and press shrugs.