Biden says Secret Service "needs more help"

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Axios

24 mins ago


President Biden on Monday said the Secret Service "needs more help" following the second apparent assassination attempt against former President Trump.

The big picture: The U.S. Secret Service is facing renewed scrutiny from lawmakers after the latest incident targeting Trump, this time at his Florida golf club.

A Secret Service agent ahead of Trump on the golf course saw a rifle barrel sticking out of a fence. Police arrested the suspected gunman, Ryan Wesley Routh, who is in court Monday morning.

Driving the news: "The [Secret] Service needs more help," Biden said while departing the White House. "And I think Congress should respond to their needs."

Biden said on Monday that additional resources could include more personnel.

Acting Secret Service director Ronald Rowe is reportedly in Florida visiting the scene as apart of the ongoing investigation into the incident and is expected to meet with Trump Monday, CNN reports.

State of play: Members of Congress from both parties have called for Trump to receive more protection in the aftermath of the incident.

Trump's Secret Service protection is more limited than it would be if he were the sitting president.

Read more: https://www.axios.com/2024/09/16/biden-secret-service-trump-assassination-attempt

[Cattledog]

1. CBS had a story on "High turnover" among current SS agents.

A former (retired) agent said in the past most would stay 30 years and then retire. Not any more.

[pat_k]

4. I wonder if it has anything to do with the

. . .disgraceful Trump appointed DHS IG Cuffari or other Trump appointments who are still there undoubtedly fucking things up and creating a hostile environment for long serving civil servants. Trump was a wrecking ball to every agency and rebuilding has been slow -- particularly since Biden's Department secretaries are not the lawless, ruthless fiends Trump's were when it came to forcing people out without cause.

[BumRushDaShow]

6. That Wikipedia list is out of date

Here is the DHS (senior Leadership) Org chart - https://www.dhs.gov/leadership

[pat_k]

8. Thanks. Cuffari is certainly still there though.

[BumRushDaShow]

9. I think in the case of the IGs

Biden apparently pledged when he first ran, that he wouldn't do like his predecessor and remove them all.

For positions like that, there needs to be all kinds of justification (and notification to Congress) for why. I think in Cuffari's case, people have been demanding it but I expect that if Harris wins, he will be gone.

[pat_k]

12. Yep. When it comes to the make up of executive agencies. . .

. . . the fact that Democrats have scruples has always put us at a disadvantage. Republican's purge, often just by creating such a hostile or incompetent environment that good people leave, and install "their" people, while Democratic administrations, respecting the protections we've put in place as a country to protect continuity of administrative, ideally non-partisan, civil service talent, can only partially reverse the damage.

It is almost a miracle that so much of the civil service remains effective. The Washington Post is doing an interesting series highlighting some of the everyday heroes of the civil service -- putting faces on "faceless" government. Here's the first:

This should be a paywall free link:
https://wapo.st/3MLQ1fy

[BumRushDaShow]

13. I was a federal civil servant under 6 Presidents

before retiring and we certainly have seen them come and go - with Department/agency head changes often causing whiplash... but it was what it was!

(I have a sub to WaPo and I did see that - didn't get through it all yet... )

[pat_k]

14. My dad was a CPA and lawyer who worked at the SEC in the 60's.

Nixon's administration brought about some sort of upheaval in his area and he left. By the time I was old enough to be interested in the events he had passed away so I never got anything more than vague references to the goings on.

[BumRushDaShow]

16. My dad was a Computer Programmer for the VA

back when the "VA" was the "Veteran's Administration" (not a Department back then). He had worked there since the mid-50s but passed away in the mid-'70s, and used to take me and my sisters in to work. He also used to work shift work during the year so we got used to weeks when he was on the night shift ( "12am - 8am" as they dubbed it), and had to sleep during the day. The other shifts were "8am - 4pm", & "4pm - 12am".

And yes, under Nixon, there was some kind of "upheaval" (I guess reorganization discussion) as I remember when they were talking about closing the VA facility here and consolidating with the one in Austin, TX, relocating the employees there (my dad's group programmed the system that generated the checks for veterans). At one point, my parents had literally gotten to the stage of house-hunting there (I remember pulling out the "T" volume from the World Book Encyclopedia set we had to see where that even was ).

Fortunately the consolidation plan was ditched because if that had happened, I would have become a "Texan"!

[LymphocyteLover]

20. yes, that is a very good point

[BoRaGard]

2. we lock the republicon felon up

he'll be safe.

Seems to be what he's asking for.

[Attilatheblond]

5. Secret Service budget had to be re-worked not long into the Trump term. Too much $ spent to protect him at his resorts

The Secret Service is also charged with protecting the integrity of US currency, IOW, investigating and stopping counterfeiting. I always wondered how much funny money Russia might have been pumping into the US after the SS budget was rearranged. Printing up their own currency would be so much cheaper than paying GOP pols & influencers real money, with added advantage of possibly destabilizing the US dollar and messing with the economy.

So, TFG made gobs of extra money from his details having to stay at his overpriced resorts, rent overpriced golf carts, and pay who knows what over market prices for food. And the Secret Service protection of our currency was diminished. Win/Win for the Putin/Trump team.

Now, it seems more money will be required to protect lying convicted felon from crazy people with easy to access guns? He just keeps cashing in at our expense? Fuck that. There are plenty of virtual reality golf games available, and since the fat felon doesn't actually walk a golf course, he can get the same amount of exercise playing indoors with a VR screen and goggles. Less money spent, less risk to agents, MUCH less risk to the public and LEOs on the highways.

And then there is GOP refusal to even consider legislation to make gun safety a bit easier. Again, Russian money, via NRA and who knows what sort of Kompromat Putin likely has on GOP pols who are stupid enough to spend time in the surveillance state that is Putin's Russia.

Throw in GOP candidates eager to spread unfounded rumors about LEGAL immigrants in yet another effort to keep the MAGAnutz riled up and knowing that will probably trigger well armed 'lone wolves' of unsound minds to violent acts to keep the fear level up and lower the possibility of the magas from starting to think critically about the threat to democracy Project 2025 has spelled out in print.

[Oopsie Daisy]

7. Being on Trump's detail should be a final stop for them all. Never to be reassigned to a POTUS or VPOTUS team.

They're probably all MAGA by now.

[Magoo48]

10. Send more secret service to Greenfield. Worry less about what's his name.

[Lonestarblue]

11. I would like a reporter to find out the number of Secret Service agents attached to each former president.

I suspect Trump’s protection team is far larger than any others because he loves living in a fishbowl and refuses to moderate his lifestyle. Perhaps there should be a reasonable cap on what former presidents get.

[slightlv]

18. Especially since it's OUR tax dollars giving him all this protection!

Not worth the money!

[LiberalFighter]

15. He needs to stop golfing so much

[truthisfreedom]

19. He needs to be ordered to stay indoors.

That’s where the SS wants him anyway. Outdoors is too big for a hate-spewing fiend who attracts hate. Look at this last guy.

[slightlv]

17. I have an idea...

Let's tell trump we'll give him more secret service protection just as soon as he starts protecting the Haitians and other minorities he's sicced his red hat magas on! AND shuts up stirring up more trouble!