As the Trump and Harris campaigns gear up for the final month of campaigning before Election Day, including high-profile rallies like today’s in Butler, Pennsylvania, the Secret Service has reached a “breaking point,” NBC News reported.
More than a dozen current and former U.S. Secret Service employees told NBC News that the agency is at “breaking point” due to increased workload and lack of sufficient staffing.
“I love my agency but they are trying to set up another case.” https://t.co/Ts1vrOktrK
— Sarah Fitzpatrick (@S_Fitzpatrick) October 5, 2024
More than a dozen current and former U.S. Secret Service employees told NBC News that mistakes like the one in Butler, when a gunman opened fire on President Trump on July 13, are the result of understaffing and increased workloads. This is said to be a contributing factor.
“There’s a huge security risk because we already have agents who are burnt out and have even less time to come up with a solid security plan and sort out all their assets,” an active agent told NBC.
“I love my office, but they are trying to set up new cases,” said one former agent.
Both current and former employees told NBC they fear the agency will see a mass exodus of employees over the next 18 months.
For more information on recent Secret Service failures, see Robert Tait and Ed Helmore’s report in The Guardian.
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Updated to EDT 11.12
Hours before President Trump was scheduled to speak in Butler, Pennsylvania tonight, reporters at the rally reported a large and enthusiastic crowd.
Seven hours before President Trump was scheduled to speak, this is the procession at President Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, the same venue where the assassination attempt took place in July pic.twitter.com/gkizBto4zm
— Kate Sullivan (@KateSullivanDC) October 5, 2024
Trump’s campaign is touting the rally as a return to “the very same playing field where (Trump) was shot at by democracy less than three months ago.”
“I think we’re in a sacred position today,” the Pennsylvania voter told Fox News.
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Updated to 10.53 EDT
Good morning, readers of the US Politics Blog. Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are touring the country this weekend, and their representatives will be visiting as well. Perhaps most notably, President Trump is scheduled to return to Butler, Pennsylvania, today. There, less than three months ago, a gunman tried to assassinate President Trump. He will be joined by the family of rallygoer Corey Comperatore, who was shot and killed at a rally in July.
Meanwhile, the vice president is visiting North Carolina today, where Hurricane Helen has destroyed much of the state and killed at least 200 people. Harris will be briefed on recovery efforts and provide an update on federal actions to support emergency response.
Here’s what else is going on:
The Trump campaign has announced a tour of Georgia over the weekend, with plans to visit three locations in the state today and end in Atlanta.
Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden are heading to Camp David and plan to stay there over the weekend.
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