Two men tried to kill President Trump within 64 days. How could the Secret Service let this happen?
The decline of this once respected agency is the focus of Carol Leonnig’s 2021 book Zero Fail: The Rise and Fall of the Secret Service. I just finished it, and let me tell you, the problems are way worse than I ever imagined.
A History of Failure
“What the f— is wrong with you guys?” – Donald Trump
President Trump uttered those words when two agents were caught taking selfies with his sleeping grandson. While this is invasive and totally unprofessional, it’s the least of the Service’s misdeeds.
In recent years, we have repeatedly come close to presidents being assassinated. These stories have been little reported in the media.
In 2014, a man jumped the White House fence and made it all the way to the foot of the stairs to the president’s private residence. He was armed with a knife.
Everyone was expecting a dog to stop him. But the dog was inside a car taking a nap!
You can’t make this stuff up.
President Obama didn’t fire the director, Julia Pierson, after this incident. That failure in leadership could have cost him his life — thank God it didn’t.
This wasn’t the first time in recent years that the Agency allowed an attack on the White House.
In 2011, a gunman fired on the White House multiple times with an assault rifle. The Agency didn’t even realize there were bullets lodged in the building until days later.
A Frathouse Culture
You expect Secret Service agents to be stone faced g-men. But their behavior is more like frat brothers in Cancun.
On a presidential trip to Cartagena, Colombia during the Obama administration, multiple agents were caught with prostitutes in their hotel rooms. One of the women even showed up in a government database as a possible cartel operative.
Agents repeated these hijinks all over the world. If the Russian or Chinese security agencies haven’t put a beautiful female spy in front of these men, somebody’s not doing their job over there.
This unprofessional culture is nothing new.
Several agents were out drinking the night before John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Had they been sharper that day, they might have prevented it.
Whenever the Service discovers these screw-ups, the punishment tends to be a slap on the wrist.
Underfunded, Understaffed, and Without a Clear Mission
When we think of the Secret Service, we think of guys in dark suits standing around the president. But most agents don’t do that.
The Service has countless missions. It protects foreign leaders, handles financial fraud, helps police find missing kids, and researches traits of school shooters to help communities.
Those are all worthy goals. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned in business, it’s this: when you have 5 priorities, you have none.
The Service should focus on protecting the president, top administration officials, and their families. That’s it.
Despite all those different jobs, the Service has been underfunded for generations. Security details are understaffed, equipment is outdated, and overworked agents quit regularly.
Wrap-Up
The Secret Service has no leadership and no clue. The fact that more presidents haven’t been assassinated is the best evidence I know of for God’s providence.
The Service needs one mission and enough funding to accomplish it. And it needs strong leadership that doesn’t make excuses for failure.
Let’s do it now, before we lose another president.
What do you think of the Secret Service?
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