Former Secret Service agent Dan Bongino ripped into the federal law enforcement agency over the “apocalyptic security failure” that ultimately resulted in the July 13th assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump.
Bongino took part in a panel discussion, hosted by The Heritage Foundation, alongside several Republican Congressmen — Reps. Eli Crane (R-AZ), Chip Roy (R-TX), Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Andy Biggs (R-AZ), and Cory Mills (R-FL) — and he argued that it was “disgusting” the Trump’s would-be assassin was able to come as close as he did to succeeding in killing a former president.
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“Listen, let’s just get right to the point: this was an apocalyptic security failure,” Bongino began. “A man was murdered in front of his family, three people were shot on live television, including President Trump in the head — who came within two millimeters of having his head explode on national television in front of millions of people.”
“There’s no sugar-coating it, it’s no time for B.S.,” Bongino continued, noting that media had appeared to quickly lose interest in the story even though the security failures that day could have much broader implications going forward.
Bongino went on to make it clear that it was not his intent to disparage the men and women who served in the United States Secret Service every day, putting their lives on the line. The real problems, he said, were institutional.
“They have a technology problem,” he explained, saying that the joke — which was no longer funny — was that the agency “relies on the technology of yesterday, tomorrow.”
The Secret Service’s aim to “do more with less” had also failed, he argued, saying, “A 20-year-old criminal outsmarted them on a $40 drone … You’re telling me that’s ‘more with less’? That’s disgusting. That’s nothing with less.”
