Name: Trump's Protection Level Is No Longer Sufficient: Retired Navy Captain and Strategist
Uploaded: 2024-09-17T18:24:51.000Z
Description: The recent apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump has raised concerns about possible security lapses within his protection detail.

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The recent apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump has raised concerns about possible security lapses within his protection detail.

Retired U.S. Navy Capt. Armen Kurdian told NTD that he believes that the protections for the Republican presidential nominee are not "enough at this point."

The suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh, allegedly attempted to assassinate Trump while he played an unscheduled round of golf at his oceanfront club in Florida. This incident occurred just two months after the former president was shot in the ear during a rally in Pennsylvania.

Routh, 58, was charged with two gun-related crimes in a federal court in Florida on Monday: possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. He may also face additional charges as the case progresses.

Kurdian said, “In fairness, you don't necessarily deploy hundreds of Secret Service agents every time the President goes somewhere. It has to be cooperation with state and local authorities. That's just how it's always worked. “

“But what makes it all work is command and control and a very good, well organized structure of protection that goes outwards to inwards, or inwards to outwards, to ensure that there's immediate protection, but also that any threats outwards are mitigated. “

He then assessed the current level of protection afforded to Trump. He stated it is very hard to secure an entire golf course, adding that it was fortunate the Secret Service agents spotted the suspect during a random search.

He added there should be “more advanced work with some of these state and local authorities, perhaps not waiting until a week prior when the president's going to actually be somewhere.” He suggested legislation for the state and local authorities’ reception for a VIP’s arrival.

The suspect managed to approach Trump’s golf area with an SKS-style rifle, which raised questions about possible gaps in protection. Kurdian said, "It's a little too early to say if there were any gaps in (protection) coverage,” adding, "Obviously, they found him, which is a big plus. We don't know how many secret service agents were on site, nor do we know how many local law enforcement was actually there."

Kurdian also thinks it's too early to say it was necessarily "an inside job," but noted there might be "other indications and warnings" that helped the suspect orchestrate his plot.

Since Trump’s golf outing was not on his public schedule, Kurdian believed the suspect might have monitored the golf course or airport for any signs of activity or checked Trump's or other's social media for details.

“Insider threats don't necessarily have to be adversarial or intentional. It can be accidental, as we've seen. You know, you click the wrong click link on an email, all of a sudden your entire company is hacked," he said.

The FBI discovered through Routh's social media profiles that he has a significant interest in the war in Ukraine. Kurdian believes this could be a possible motive for his apparent assassination attempt.

“This idea that he wanted to go and support Ukraine—maybe he felt that if Donald Trump won the presidency, he'd pull out and stop supporting Ukraine, and maybe he felt that we couldn't have that happening,” he explained.

Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe announced on Sept. 16 that, following the second alleged assassination attempt on former Trump, the agency will revise its approach to protecting current and former presidents.

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