In the wake of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, former Washington Post investigative journalist Ronald Kessler told Newsmax Sunday that there are a number of problems within the Secret Service, but the overarching issue is the attitude within the agency about operating on a shoestring budget.
“The broader problem, which I went into in both my Secret Service books, is this attitude within the Secret Service of we make do with less,” Kessler said during an appearance on Newsmax’s “The Record With Greta Van Susteren.” “They’re actually proud to not spend money, would you believe?
“I think the budget should be doubled. The whole budget of the Secret Service is equal to one stealth bomber. The fact that we allowed the potential president of the United States to be a victim is just shocking.”
In a statement on Sunday, the FBI identified 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks as the “subject involved” in the attempted assassination of Trump. Crooks was shot and killed by the Secret Service Saturday afternoon seconds after he allegedly fired shots toward a stage in Butler, Pennsylvania, where Trump was speaking to a crowd of supporters.
Trump was shot in the ear, while 50-year-old Corey Comperatore was killed and two other rally goers were critically injured in the attack.
Kessler said, “The first scandal is that they allowed this guy to get up on the roof. The first thing you do is make sure that an area like that is secured.
“They should have had agents in the crowd who would have picked up on the warnings from people in the crowd pointing to the shooter and trying to get the attention of law enforcement,” he continued.
“The counterassault team was only two members; by their traditions, it should be six agents on the counterassault team. That’s the way they train.”
He also said that Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, who was appointed by President Joe Biden, “has been pushing the idea of having 30% of the agents female.”
“So you have a DEI [diversity, equity, and inclusion] person in charge, and that actually led to hiring a female agent who obviously never should have been hired, and she had a nervous breakdown when she was on [Vice President] Kamala Harris’ detail,” Kessler said.
“On the other hand, you did see a female agent shielding Trump, and so we have to commend her on her courage.”
The former president said on Sunday morning that “God alone” saved him from the would-be assassin’s bullet and called on Americans to unite in the face of political violence.
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