{"id":2595747,"date":"2026-04-27T15:22:57","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T19:22:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/secret-service-reform-is-a-literal-life-or-death-necessity\/"},"modified":"2026-04-27T15:27:02","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T19:27:02","slug":"secret-service-reform-is-a-literal-life-or-death-necessity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/secret-service-reform-is-a-literal-life-or-death-necessity\/","title":{"rendered":"Secret Service Reform Is A Literal Life-Or-Death Necessity"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fsecret-service-reform-is-a-literal-life-or-death-necessity%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2595747&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The text argues that a recent shooting attempt at the White House Correspondents\u2019 Dinner-where an <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >alleged lone gunman reportedly<\/a> tried to kill President Trump and senior administration officials-highlights serious security failures by the U.S. Secret Service. It claims the attacker was able to get close enough to pose an immediate threat despite being warned about or showing \u201cporous\u201d event security, citing accounts that attendees reported a lack of meaningful checkpoints, ID checks, or appropriate screening near the venue.<\/p>\n<p>It connects the incident to earlier alleged protection breakdowns (including the 2024 Butler rally) and suggests the agency has not implemented structural reforms since Trump\u2019s return to office. The article says reporting and inquiry into alleged negligence or corruption has been met more with efforts to punish internal critics than with fixing systemic problems.<\/p>\n<p>it notes a White House response that it is \u201cstanding by\u201d Secret Service leadership while scheduling a meeting with USSS and DHS to review major-event protocols, and portrays this as an acknowledgement that security procedures may need major changes to prevent another tragedy.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>First it was <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/24\/losing-her-job-is-the-bare-minimum-punishment-kimberly-cheatle-deserves\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Butler, Pennsylvania<\/a>. Then it was <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/09\/16\/propaganda-media-rush-to-downplay-second-trump-assassination-effort-they-encouraged\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Palm Beach County<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/04\/26\/the-secret-service-failed-trump-again\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">twice<\/a>). And now, in Washington, D.C., Americans witnessed yet <em>another<\/em> significant attempt on President Trump\u2019s life.<\/p>\n<p>During this past weekend\u2019s White House Correspondents\u2019 Dinner, a lone gunman stormed past \u201csecurity\u201d with the alleged goal of killing Trump and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/yale-law-journal-editor-apologizes-for-unwelcoming-culture\/\" title=\"Yale Law Journal Editor Apologizes For \u2018Unwelcoming Culture\u2019\">high-level members<\/a> of his administration. Identified as a California resident and a <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-correspondents-dinner-shooter-cole-tomas-allen-ea98b14e839217985bd7cf5ab169fb65\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a> Democrat donor, the suspect <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/04\/26\/us-news\/whcd-gunman-cole-allen-sent-anti-trump-manifesto-to-family-just-before-opening\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">bears all the hallmarks<\/a> of someone indoctrinated by the left\u2019s media\/online disinformation ecosystem \u2014 the same ecosystem that regularly slanders Trump and his supporters as \u201cNazis,\u201d \u201cthreats to democracy,\u201d and \u201cliterally Hitler.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I put \u201csecurity\u201d in quotation marks because it\u2019s evident from the <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/KennedyNation\/status\/2048437082578637236?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">event<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ClayTravis\/status\/2048444707286487359?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">attendees<\/a>\u2018 <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/BillMelugin_\/status\/2048407759016599747?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">collective experience<\/a> that the evening\u2019s defensive measures were <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/04\/26\/the-secret-service-failed-trump-again\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">not up to standard<\/a>. Not even close for one in which the president was in attendance.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere were no checkpoints at the doors at street level,\u201d NewsNation\u2019s Katie Pavlich <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/KatiePavlich\/status\/2048241120291729506?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">wrote<\/a> on X, responding to a video of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-video-footage-shows-correspondents-dinner-shooter-sprint-past-security\/\" title=\"Watch: Video Footage Shows Correspondents&#039; Dinner Shooter Sprint Past ...\">suspect sprinting past security<\/a>. \u201cThis checkpoint was only one level up from the ballroom, the stairs down to the ballroom are yards away. Grateful for the rapid response, but the fact that anyone could get this far into the building was a serious problem.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<div lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\n<p>My thoughts on the security at the WHCD last night.<\/p>\n<p>The first exterior security for me was on the street outside of the hotel. I flashed my ticket and was waved through in one second. My name was not checked against any list, I showed no ID, I was not patted down and did not go\u2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u2014 Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BillMelugin_\/status\/2048407759016599747?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 26, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The hotel venue\u2019s lackluster security was unfortunately a detail the attempted assassin seemingly <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/04\/26\/us-news\/whcd-gunman-cole-allen-sent-anti-trump-manifesto-to-family-just-before-opening\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">noticed<\/a> in his anti-Trump manifesto prior to the attack. <\/p>\n<p>While commentators are correct in noting the bravery of the individual U.S. Secret Service officers who quickly engaged the assailant before he could harm the president and other targets, the entire episode raises an important point the federal agency tasked with protecting the president doesn\u2019t want discussed. That is, how was this wannabe-assassin allowed to get so close to the commander-in-chief at what should\u2019ve been a highly secured event? <\/p>\n<p>To say that USSS got lucky that nobody was killed is an understatement. As my colleague Brianna Lyman aptly <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/04\/26\/the-secret-service-failed-trump-again\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">observed<\/a>, \u201cWhat if the would-be assassin had been carrying a bomb or other explosive device? A device detonated just outside the magnetometer may not have breached the ballroom, but it could have caused mass casualties and chaos nonetheless.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>The Secret Service\u2019s security failures at the Washington Hilton closely resemble the same level of negligence the agency displayed at the 2024 Butler rally, in which Trump was a head turn away from having a sniper\u2019s bullet go straight through his skull. And much like this most recent incident, it was only <em>after<\/em> the attempt on Trump\u2019s life that such <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/trump-assassination-attempt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">security breakdowns<\/a> were acknowledged.<\/p>\n<p>Which brings us to the chief problem at hand. <\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s become increasingly evident that the Secret Service has not undertaken the structural reforms needed to ensure the president\u2019s safety since Trump\u2019s return to office. But don\u2019t take my word for it. Award-winning journalist and RealClearPolitics political correspondent Susan Crabtree <a href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolitics.com\/authors\/susan_crabtree\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">has<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolitics.com\/articles\/2026\/03\/20\/secret_service_agent_faulted_for_butler_failures_suspended_again__153966.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">extensively<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolitics.com\/articles\/2026\/01\/16\/trump_continues_to_back_secret_service_chief_despite_concern_at_times__153724.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a> on the agency\u2019s ineptitude and corruption during Trump 2.0.<\/p>\n<p>But rather than address those reported problems, USSS leadership <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/susancrabtree\/status\/2011197037380059593?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">seems more concerned<\/a> with rooting out the officials sounding the alarm about their existence. <\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s not a good look by any measure. <\/p>\n<p>The Trump White House has since come out and issued a <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/BillMelugin_\/status\/2048582531339940321?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">statement<\/a> saying it is \u201cstanding by the leadership of Secret Service\u201d but that Chief of Staff Susie Wiles is nonetheless \u201cconvening a meeting early this week with the White House operations team, USSS, and DHS leadership to discuss protocol and practices for major events involving POTUS.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Responding to the statement on X, Crabtree <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/susancrabtree\/status\/2048626717733105870?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">noted<\/a> that \u201cany admission by the White House that the @SecretService was not up to the task Saturday night would invite more perpetrators.\u201d She said the fact that the administration has scheduled a meeting on the subject, however, \u201cis significant.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSusie Wiles has been overseeing the Secret S[e]rvice and keeping Director Sean Curran in place in spite of multiple failures. The fact that she called a meeting to review USSS protoc[o]ls is significant. Top WH staff know this type of porous WHCD security can never happen again if they want to avoid a major tragedy,\u201d Crabtree wrote on X. <\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s hope that Trump and his team finally recognize the systemic failures within USSS and act accordingly. Not just for their own protection, but for the safety of all Americans in the president and his officials\u2019 proximity (like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/us\/hero-trump-rally-victim-corey-comperatore-died-shielding-family-wouldve-done-again-friend-says\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Corey Comperatore<\/a>).<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He is a co-recipient of the 2025 Dao Prize for Excellence in Investigative Journalism. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics and RealClearHealth. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Butler, Palm Beach, and now Washington: another attempt on Trump\u2019s life at the WHCD after a gunman bypassed \u201csecurity.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2595748,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Secret-Service.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[8049,78679,78680,35975,78678],"class_list":["post-2595747","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-accountability","tag-life-or-death","tag-policy-necessity","tag-public-safety","tag-secret-service-reform"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Secret-Service.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2595747","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2595747"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2595747\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2595751,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2595747\/revisions\/2595751"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2595748"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2595747"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2595747"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2595747"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}