The U.S. Secret Service is “not prepared” and doesn’t have adequate resources to defend presidential candidates — especially when they want to campaign in places that may not be very secure, said Rep. Lou Correa, a member of a task force created to investigate the July assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump.
The bipartisan task force met with Secret Service representatives last week, said Correa, before Trump was the target of another apparent assassination attempt on Sunday, Sept. 15. The task force learned that the federal agency tasked with protecting certain political leaders simply needs more resources, said Correa.
That’s a similar sentiment expressed by President Joe Biden, who on Monday said the Secret Service “needs more help.”
Law enforcement on Sunday arrested a suspect who allegedly waited outside Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course, where the former president and current GOP presidential nominee was playing a round of golf. He had two backpacks, a digital camera and an AK-style rifle with a scope, according to law enforcement officials. A Secret Service agent noticed the man and opened fire, according to court documents. The suspect fled but was later apprehended by law enforcement in a neighboring county.
In July, during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Trump was the victim of an assassination attempt, where a bullet grazed his ear. There, one rallygoer died as well as the gunman, who was killed by a Secret Service counter-sniper.
With campaign season well underway — in Califonia, ballots go out to registered voters in about three weeks — there’s a disconnect between the Secret Service’s need to protect presidential candidates and the campaigns’ desire to barnstorm fully, even in areas that may be more difficult to defend, said Correa, a Santa Ana Democrat.
“Protection is secondary, and that’s what happened in many ways in Butler,” said Correa. “The place was chosen based on, what we understand, is the campaign was interested in a good place to have the rally.”
“We keep hearing that there’s not enough Secret Service officers to defend all these candidates,” he added. “These candidates are difficult to defend and protect.”
Ronald Rowe Jr., the agency’s acting director, told reporters on Monday that a security plan put together for Trump’s visit to the golf course, which he said was not on the official schedule Sunday, “worked out.” He said the suspect “did not have (a) line of sight to the former president” and never fired a shot.
But Rowe also said the Secret Service needs more money to add additional personnel and provide up-to-date training.
“We have immediate needs. We have future needs, too,” said Rowe, who added he feels the Secret Service has “great support” from both Biden and Congress.
A spokesperson for the Secret Service declined to comment further than what Rowe said during Monday’s news conference.
It’s difficult, Correa said, to determine who exactly is in charge during campaign season. Campaigns — both for Vice President Kamala Harris and Trump — are in full swing ahead of Election Day and have the mindset of “you’re going to do the thing it takes to win,” the congressman said.
“But if you’re the Secret Service, you want to protect them at all costs, and that’s where the conflicts come in,” said Correa.
A government agency telling a political candidate not to campaign — or not to campaign how they think is best to reach potential voters — wouldn’t exactly go over well, he said.
When Trump in August held his first outdoor rally since the Pennsylvania attack, he stood behind bulletproof glass that formed a wall across the stage. Storage containers also lined the perimeter to add another layer of a wall and block sightlines, an attempt to ratchet up security measures, the Associated Press reported at the time.
Correa said he expected to see in the coming weeks, or even days, a “major augmentation to the Secret Service’s budget.”
The Biden administration is already asking Congress for permission to spend more on the Secret Service, CBS News reported. The White House Office of Management and Budget, which submitted the request to congressional committees, reportedly warned that without increased Secret Service spending, it “would have insufficient resources to sustain and enhance protective operations.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, said lawmakers are prepared to allocate more resources to the Secret Service during the ongoing appropriations process should it need them.
“We all must do our part to ensure an incident like this does not happen again. This means that Congress has a responsibility to ensure the Secret Service and all law enforcement have the resources they need to do their jobs,” Schumer said.
Biden on Monday said he believes “Congress should respond to their (Secret Service) needs if they, in fact, need more Service people.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
