New attempt on Trump’s life reopens questions about the Secret Service

The latest alleged assassination attempt against Donald Trump has once again put the spotlight on the Secret Service, the elite force charged with protecting American leaders. For the second time in just over two months, an armed individual managed to get within shooting distance of the Republican candidate. This time, unlike the first, the officers prevented the attack in time and the suspect was charged on Monday. But President Joe Biden has acknowledged that the institution “needs more help” to be able to fulfill its mission.

A suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh, was arrested after a Secret Service agent spotted the barrel of an AK-47 rifle in the bushes surrounding the Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach, Florida. Routh appeared in federal court on Monday to be arraigned on two preliminary charges: possession of a firearm as a felon, and possession of a weapon with an obliterated serial number.

Although both charges are relatively minor, they will allow authorities to keep Routh in custody while the investigation progresses. Additional charges could be filed against the suspect, a 58-year-old homebuilder with a small company and an obsession with Ukraine who divided his time between Hawaii and North Carolina.

The incident has raised many questions. How was it possible for someone to get so close to Trump without being detected until almost the last minute? What were the exact plans of the suspect, who, as he fled, left behind the rifle, two backpacks with ceramic plates and a Go-Pro camera in the bushes? Did he know that the former president would be on the golf course at that time, and on one of the holes closest to his hideout? If so, how did he know that, since Trump does not disclose his private activities in advance?

At a press conference on Monday, Martin County Sheriff William Snyder, where Routh was detained, echoed these questions. “How was it possible that a guy who is not from here could walk to Trump International, find out that the president was playing golf, and approach him with a firearm?” he asked.

At a second news conference in Palm Beach, the Secret Service’s acting director, Ronald Rowe, confirmed that the suspect did not fire his weapon and did not have Trump in his sights. But the rifle was loaded when the police found it.

The FBI has already launched an investigation into the incident, but the Secret Service is also set to conduct its own. On Monday Rowe was scheduled to meet with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, the Republican candidate’s residence, visit the scene of the incident and speak with people who were with the former president at the time.

The circumstances are very different from those of the first attack on the Republican candidate at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July. Then, a series of coordination errors allowed the attacker, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, to open fire in a shootout that killed one attendee at the political event and wounded Trump in the right ear. The errors led to the resignation of the then director of the Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle.

Praise for the agents

This time, the officers’ actions were praised. Trump himself posted a message of thanks on his social network, Truth Social. County Sheriff Rick Bradshaw also praised the the officers who, as part of security protocol, had gone ahead of the president on his round of the golf course and examined the holes to rule out dangers. When one of them saw the rifle emerging from the brush, he fired at least four rounds of ammunition while the suspect fled. “The officer acted very quickly” and prevented the suspect from “getting any shots fired.” “The system worked,” the sheriff insisted.

But at the same time, the incident has highlighted the difficulties the Secret Service faces in fulfilling its protective mission. In an election year, its agents are barely able to cope with the tasks of protecting the president, the four main candidates and their families.

In separate statements, President Biden and Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris have joined in praising the Secret Service and pledged to work to provide the resources it needs to fulfill its mission.

Biden reiterated that commitment on Monday, in statements to the media before traveling to Philadelphia. “One thing I want to make clear is: The Service needs more help. And I think Congress should respond to their need.”

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