Hindsight is always 20-20. But when the security of a former President of the United States is concerned, and when lapses in said security have already allowed a punk to take a shot at said former president, it seems like someone should have closed that door before the horse departed for far horizons.
And yet that’s what’s happening, as now the Secret Service is locking down former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.
The US Secret Service is bolstering security around Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club after last weekend’s assassination attempt .
The Town of Palm Beach told residents that 1100 South Ocean Boulevard will be closed to through traffic starting Saturday morning and continue “24/7 until the November general election at a minimum.”
“The US Secret Service has made this decision, neither Town Officials nor the Town Council,” an alert said . “The Town is working closely with the US Secret Service to minimize the impacts of this road closure.”
The alert added that the Town of Palm Beach intends to explore legal options to “ensure that the road remains open in the absence of the protected person(s) in residence.”
That horse, of course, departed on Saturday, July 13th, when Thomas Matthew Crooks fired at former President Trump, taking a chunk out of the presidential ear.
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There are reportedly plans to beef up security at Trump’s famous rallies as well.
Anthony Cangelosi, a former special agent who directed the Secret Service’s technical security advances for presidential candidates, previously told Business Insider that he expects the Secret Service to require “a lot more personnel” on-site when Trump speaks publicly in the future.
Cangelosi, who is now a professor at the City University of New York — said he thinks the Secret Service will also rely more on local law enforcement for security at future events.
“It’s a tremendous false [sic] multiplier in these situations,” Cangelosi said. “They know a lot about the area. They can bring in additional personnel. And 99% of the times the local law enforcement likes it, they like participating.”
Hopefully, we’ll get through the rest of the campaign without any further incidents; presumably, the Secret Service will be keeping the once and future president away from any sloped roofs.
The Secret Service Director, Kimberly Cheatle, is on the docket to testify to the House Oversight Committee on Monday, which should be an interesting interview. The director, who in a sane world would have already resigned in disgrace, will be answering for not only the security failures of July 13th but presumably also for updates on the protection packages assigned to the various presidential candidates. President Joe Biden should be easy enough to protect since he’s no longer running for reelection and will likely be dividing his time between the White House and his Rehoboth Beach home, leaving the rest of us to wonder who’s really in charge in Washington.
Former President Trump’s next rally will be in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Wednesday. Vice presidential candidate JD Vance is speaking Monday in Middletown, Ohio, and Radford, Virginia. Presumably, the Secret Service will be examining the venues for missing horses and closed barn doors.
