OPINION:
In 1962, composer Irving Berlin debuted his final musical, “Mr. President.” The show has a silly little song that contains the lyric “The Secret Service makes me nervous.”
I thought of that song after the real Secret Service failed to protect former President Donald Trump at a rally three weeks ago in Butler, Pennsylvania. The bureaucracy seems to be putting more effort into protecting agency management than it did Mr. Trump.
We’ve heard the reports of how the assailant, Thomas Crooks, was spotted by some rallygoers as much as 90 minutes before he fired eight rounds, wounding Mr. Trump and two others and killing retired fire chief Corey Comperatore. A Secret Service sniper, the first to be deployed at these rallies, shot and killed Crooks. The blame game started soon after.
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned after a poor performance before the House Oversight Committee in which she revealed little to nothing about what had happened. Acting Director Ronald Rowe Jr. acknowledged the agency failed in its mission to fully protect Mr. Trump, but he blamed local law enforcement while revealing no information about the progress of the investigation. Local police pushed back at allegations they were at fault for the security breakdown.
Mr. Rowe and FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate testified last week before a joint hearing of the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security committees. Mr. Rowe said agents were not aware of the presence of a man on the roof of a building until he opened fire. He also acknowledged that responsibility for the security breakdown at the former president’s rally ultimately rests with the Secret Service.
Asked by Sen. Josh Hawley, Missouri Republican, whether anyone at the agency had been fired, Mr. Rowe reverted to the standard bureaucratic shuffle that the investigation was continuing, and he didn’t want to take any action that might cause harm to an innocent person. Senators from both parties were outraged at his response, as they should have been. They also expressed shock that Crooks had flown a drone over the area on the day of the shooting, and apparently, no one found that unusual.
The video recorded by a rally attendee who was sitting behind Mr. Trump shows Crooks making his way across the roof of a building to a position where he would have a clear shot. Earlier, several rallygoers shouted at police that someone was on the roof, but neither the Secret Service nor local law enforcement responded. One officer said he started to climb up on the roof, but when Crooks pointed his weapon at him, he retreated. Various people blamed a breakdown in communication between the Secret Service and local police. It makes one long for the days of walkie-talkies.
Some in Congress and conservative media are suggesting the Biden administration’s emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion may have lowered standards for applicants to the Secret Service. A look at the agency’s website might give credence to that argument. It lists various categories for recruitment and includes outreach to African Americans, Pacific Islanders, Hispanics, Indigenous people, the Federal Women Program, the LGBTQ community, people with disabilities including disabled veterans, the Office of the Ombudsman and the Inclusion and Engagement Council. It says nothing about merit.
Three years ago, The Washington Post reported: “The morale of Uniformed Division (UD) officers, who guard the White House, is so bad that a new study by a National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) panel said job satisfaction and employee engagement are at a ’concerning level of risk’ related to a ’crisis in UD work-life balance.’”
NBC News recently reported: “Former Secret Service officials say it can be difficult to get experienced agents to remain on the job.”
It’s enough to make us all nervous.
• Readers may email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub.com. Look for Cal Thomas’ latest book, “A Watchman in the Night: What I’ve Seen Over 50 Years Reporting on America” (HumanixBooks).
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