Details are still trickling out about the Secret Service’s failure during two attempts on Donald Trump’s life.
Momentum is building for the agency to undergo a major overhaul.
And a Secret Service agent revealed one scary secret about the agency that confirmed the worst.
Former Secret Service agent says current agents are paralyzed with fear
The Secret Service had one of the worst stretches in the agency’s long history when it allowed two assassination attempts against former President Donald Trump in two months.
Secret Service leadership has tried to close ranks and wait for the scandal to blow over.
The public has gotten more answers about what went wrong with Trump’s protection from whistleblowers than any investigation.
Former Secret Service agent Scott Bryson told Newsmax that Secret Service agents are “scared to do their job” to some level.
He said the July 13 campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where Trump was shot is an example.
Newsmax host Carl Higbie asked if there was any reluctance to take down the gunman at Butler.
“I would say yes and no,” Bryson said. “The countersniper guys do not work off of a green-light system, and I think they probably were ready to take the shot as soon as they could get it.”
Bryson pointed to the Secret Service’s leadership as holding agents back.
“The problem is they have been armchair-quarterbacked for many, many years — agents and uniformed division guys,” Bryson explained. “And so, yes, to your point, they are scared to do their job to a degree because they’re going to get ridiculed if they make the wrong decision, so to speak.”
Secret Service needs to refocus its mission
A whistleblower came forward to U.S. Senator Josh Hawley’s (R-MO) office and said that the lead Secret Service agent for the Butler rally was known to be incompetent.
Bryson said that Secret Service agents had to be held to the highest standards.
“I said last time I was on here, ‘The standard is the standard,'” Bryson said. “And if you can’t meet it, you can’t be on the team.”
The former Secret Service agent said that the agency needed to focus exclusively on protection.
“We’ve got to get away with some of the old methodology, like we’re spreading ourselves too thin,” Bryson explained. “We got INV [investigations], we’ve got protection.”
The Secret Service was established after the Civil War to stop counterfeiting of the currency – a mission the agency still has to this day.
Now, the agency investigates a variety of financial crimes, including wire fraud, bank fraud, and other illegal financial dealings.
The Secret Service also investigates cybercrimes related to finance like identity theft, credit card fraud, and intellectual property crimes.
Bryson stated that focusing on protection and increasing training would lead to better outcomes.
“I say go full-on protection. And the guys that aren’t on a mission, they’re training, and they’re shooting,” Bryson explained.
“You got to be in tip-top shape. You have to have the best shooters available,” Bryson added. “And then some of this white-collar crime can go to some people that want to do that, but it shouldn’t be cookie-cutter.”
Focusing on a singular mission of protection could help the Secret Service become more effective.
