Another Secret Service Lapse for Trump in Nashville

AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast

I'm sure we've all been eagerly awaiting the day when, after the departure of former Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle, we would learn that the bugs have been worked out of the system and Donald Trump's security detail was humming along like a fine-tuned machine. Sadly, my friends, today is not that day. Trump went to Nashville this weekend to address the 2024 Bitcoin conference, but the New York Post reports that he was kept off the stage for a time because of another "security lapse." Thankfully, this one didn't result in another assassination attempt, but a couple of people were reported acting in a suspicious fashion, leading the security detail to keep Trump under wraps longer than had been scheduled. So, was this a "lapse" or a possible overreaction out of an abundance of caution?

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Former President Donald Trump was briefly delayed by Secret Service agents from taking the stage at a conference in Nashville Saturday because of another security lapse, The Post has learned.

The hold up was caused by two individuals who made their way around metal detectors inside the Music City Center where the 2024 Bitcoin conference was held shortly after 3:30 p.m., according to law enforcement sources.

The GOP nominee was set to give the keynote address, but was instructed by his security detail to wait until the individuals were located, according to sources.

After the two people were tracked down, they were ejected from the event and questioned, sources said. Neither person has been criminally charged.

The two individuals in question were described as being "credentialed and screened." They passed through the first checkpoint at the outer perimeter without incident but were then observed ducking around the metal detector at the next checkpoint, at which time they were stopped and questioned. There were no reports of firearms, explosives, or any other potentially dangerous threats involved. But the Secret Service alerted Trump's personal security detail and they asked him to hold back until the situation was fully resolved. The two men were ejected from the event.

Having digested all of the available details, this doesn't sound like a security "lapse" to me. It sounds as if the system was working as intended. It doesn't matter what credentials you have or how well you were screened. You can't be ducking around the metal detectors when entering a presidential address. Unlike in Pennsylvania, the security people were in contact with each other and Trump's team was alerted to the suspicious activity so they kept him under cover for a bit longer. It was the right thing to do. Perhaps some lessons have been learned.

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Speaking of the previous debacle on July 13, the Pennsylvania shooting story only gets worse. Newly revealed text messages indicate that Thomas Crooks had been on authorities' radar for a full ninety minutes before the shooting. The communications were provided by both local and federal authorities.

Would-be Donald Trump assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks landed on authorities’ radar more than 90 minutes before he opened fire at the former president’s Pennsylvania campaign rally — roughly a half hour more than what officials previously claimed — according to newly released text messages.

Text messages between members of the Beaver County Emergency Service Unit obtained by the New York Times revealed a more concrete — and earlier — timeline leading up to the shooting that grazed the former president’s ear, injured two rallygoers and killed one.

The stories in Butler, Pennsylvania and Nashville stand in stark contrast to each other. In Pennsylvania, authorities knew about the presence of a suspicious individual for a full hour and a half, yet nobody informed Trump's personal security detail. He was still allowed to take the stage without the situation being resolved. In Nashville, two guys were observed committing one infraction and the former President was immediately locked down until they were removed from the event. This is a welcome development, but the situation will still require close monitoring until we see how well the new acting director of the Secret Service is working out and how well organized the field teams covering Donald Trump are at this point.

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