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Failures of Secret Service mount as senators demand accountability

Published

11 months ago

3 minute read

From The Center Square

By Greg Bishop

The failures of the Secret Service around the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump are mounting but members of Congress say there’s not been enough accountability.

Trump suffered a wound to the ear, a spectator was killed and two others were critically wounded when a sniper opened fire in Butler, Pennsylvania, at a campaign rally on July 13. Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned last week after a U.S. House hearing failed to get answers.

On Tuesday in a U.S. Senate hearing, Secret Service Acting Director Ronald Rowe told U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, those on the ground making decisions that day have not been fired.

“Is it not prima facie somebody has failed? A former president was shot,” Hawley said.

“Sir, this could have been our Texas Schoolbook Depository,” Rowe said, referencing the sniper’s outpost in the 1963 assassination of President John Kennedy in Dallas, Texas. “I have lost sleep over that for the last 17 days, just like you have.”

“Then fire somebody, to hold them accountable,” Hawley said.

U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, Acting U.S. Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe, and U.S. Sens. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma and Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, during Tuesday’s joint hearing on the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.
judiciary.senate.gov

Hawley was asking why the people who made the decision to not have someone on the roof where the sniper was ultimately killed, who managed radio communications or who failed to keep the president from taking the stage that day have not been fired.

Tuesday’s joint hearing was with the U.S. Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security committees. Senators reviewed the lapses in communications, placement of the parameter in Butler and where the buck stops for the failures.

Discussed was how the shooter was known minutes before the shooting to be suspicious with a rangefinder before being seen with a gun. The shooter even sent up a drone hours before the event. Rowe said they didn’t have their anti-drone systems in place until later in the day.

“It appears that there was an offer by a state or local agency to fly a drone on our behalf and I’m getting to the bottom of why we turned that down,” Rowe said.

The motive of the shooter, who was shot and killed, is still being investigated.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, confirmed from the Secret Service and the FBI that they are updating their security posture after the lessons of July 13 ahead of next month’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

“Tens of thousands of people will be there including some of the highest ranking politicians in the United States,” Durbin said.

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Crime

Tucker Carlson: US intelligence is shielding Epstein network, not President Trump

Published on July 9, 2025

By

From LifeSiteNews

By Robert Jones

Pam Bondi’s shifting story and Trump’s dismissal of Epstein questions have reignited scrutiny over the sealed files.

Tucker Carlson is raising new concerns about a possible intelligence cover-up in the Jeffrey Epstein case—this time implicating U.S. and Israeli agencies, as well as Trump ally and former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi.

During a recent broadcast, Carlson discussed U.S. Attorney General Bondi’s refusal to release sealed Epstein files, along with the FBI and DOJ announcement that Epstein did not have a client list and did indeed kill himself.

Carlson offered two theories for Bondi’s words. The first: “Trump is involved—that Trump is on the list, that they’ve got a tape of Trump doing something awful.”

But Carlson quickly dismissed that idea, noting he’s spoken to Trump about Epstein and believes he wasn’t part of “creepy” activities. He also pointed out that the Biden administration holds the evidence and would likely have acted if there were grounds.

Carlson’s second theory: the intelligence services are “at the very center of this story” and are being protected. His guest, Saagar Enjeti, agreed. “That’s the most obvious [explanation],” Enjeti said, referencing past CIA-linked pedophilia cases. He noted the agency had avoided prosecutions for fear suspects would reveal “sources and methods” in court.

The exchange aired as critics accused Bondi of shifting her account of what’s in the files. She previously referenced “tens of thousands of videos of Epstein with children,” but later claimed they were videos of child pornography downloaded by Epstein. Observers say that revision changes the legal and narrative stakes—and raises questions about credibility.

Donald Trump also appeared impatient with the matter. “Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein? That is unbelievable,” he said in a video beside Bondi. This clip sparked backlash from longtime Trump supporters, including former Trump advisor Elon Musk, who reposted critical commentary on Trump and Bondi’s comments on X:

Musk previously alleged that Trump was himself implicated in the Epstein files. Although he retracted and apologized for this, he recently suggested that Steve Bannon was also implicated.

However, Carlson’s guest suggested that Bondi’s comments had another purpose. “The lie is a signal to everybody else involved,” he said. “The lie is not for you and me. The lie is for those implicated to say, ‘No matter what, we will protect you.’”

The files in question remain sealed. It is unclear whether further revelations about Epstein will come to light, but Trump’s comments are not going to make the issue go away.

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International

No more shoes off: Trump ends TSA’s decades-old rule

Published on July 9, 2025

By

MXM logo MxM News

Quick Hit:

The Trump administration is phasing out one of the most despised airport security policies in America: the requirement to remove shoes during TSA screening.

Key Details:

  • Passengers will no longer be required to remove their shoes at airport security checkpoints in coming weeks.
  • The change is rolling out at Baltimore, Fort Lauderdale, Cincinnati, Portland, Philadelphia, and Piedmont Triad airports.
  • White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the policy reversal on Tuesday morning.

Diving Deeper:

The Trump administration announced it is ending the much-loathed Transportation Security Administration rule requiring passengers to remove their shoes during security checks, a mandate that has frustrated Americans since its introduction nearly two decades ago.

The change is being implemented first at Baltimore/Washington International Airport, Fort Lauderdale International Airport, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, Portland International Airport, Philadelphia International Airport, and Piedmont Triad International Airport in North Carolina, according to CBS News. The policy will expand to additional airports nationwide in the coming weeks.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt shared the news on X, posting, “Big news from [the Department of Homeland Security]!” Tuesday morning. A TSA spokesman told The New York Times that “TSA and DHS are always exploring new and innovative ways to enhance the passenger experience and our strong security posture,” suggesting the policy change is part of broader improvements under President Trump’s leadership.

The policy to remove shoes was first instituted in 2006, stemming from the December 2001 attempt by Richard Reid, known as the “shoe bomber,” to ignite explosives hidden in his shoes on a flight from Paris to Miami. Reid was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to terrorism charges, but critics have argued the policy punishes every American traveler for the actions of one terrorist nearly 25 years ago.

Before the update, travelers in the TSA PreCheck program were already exempt from removing shoes, belts, and jackets. Now, under President Trump’s directive to reduce pointless regulatory burdens, the policy is being eliminated for all travelers.

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