Washington: US President Donald Trump is no longer safe on the White House grounds, according to a former Secret Service agent who once guarded former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
Dan Bongino’s comments came on Friday after an incident last week in which a man jumped the White House fence and according to reports may have roamed the property for as long as 15 minutes before being stopped by the Secret Service.
Jonathan Tran, who carried two cans of mace, set off multiple alarms, Bongino told Fox News, and was even spotted by Secret Service officers, but was still able to come within “close proximity” of the White House and even reportedly “jiggled the door” to the executive mansion.
“The intruder set off multiple alarms, alarms that clearly showed someone breached the property, and he was seen by officers who didn’t think anything of it. This is a big story,” Bongino said.
“That just shows the President is not safe there in the White House. The Secret Service does not have the assets, they don’t have personnel on the ground they need to keep him safe.”
“…Should a group of terrorists decide to storm the White House, the Secret Service would not be able to protect Trump, Bongino said.
According to the Secret Service, Tran was charged with entering a restricted building and carrying a dangerous weapon.
Trump, who was on the property, had praised the Secret Service for doing a “fantastic job” and said the suspect was “troubled”.
But Bongino said the current Secret Service management “sucks”, reported Fox News.
“The Secret Service is stuck in their ways and don’t want to redo and upgrade the White House security plan. President Trump won’t be safe there until they do,” Bongino said.
House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, also blasted the latest incident and said “this keeps happening”. Chaffetz’s panel oversees the Secret Service.
Chaffetz has sought a briefing by the end of next week. He also is asking for all video from the White House grounds that night as well as logs from the Joint Operations Center and information about “alarms” at the White House.
–IANS