US Secret Service admits not checking golf course before discovering gunman

The New York Times reported on September 16 that the US Secret Service did not search around the Trump International Golf Club in Palm Beach, Florida on September 15, allowing suspect Ryan Wesley Routh to ambush and wait for Mr. Trump there.

Acting Director of the US Secret Service Ronald L. Rowe Jr. praised the timely response of security forces to ensure Mr. Trump's safety. However, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said that the process of retrieving data of the gunman at the scene showed that the suspect had been near the golf course for 12 hours before trying to aim the gun at the former president while he was playing golf.

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Speaking to reporters at the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office on September 16, Mr. Rowe Jr. said that the golf trip was not on Mr. Trump’s official schedule. However, he did not clarify whether that was the reason why Secret Service agents did not have enough time to check the golf course area.

However, it is public knowledge that Mr Trump often plays at his golf course in Florida on Sundays, and that could pose a security risk to the former president.

Acting Director of the US Secret Service Ronald L. Rowe Jr. speaks on September 16.

The head of the US Secret Service said the Secret Service’s methods “worked.” Mr Rowe pointed out that the threat was identified early and Mr Trump was immediately evacuated from the scene with additional security support, including the presence of snipers.

Following the Florida incident, lawmakers and law enforcement officials, as well as former Secret Service members, have questioned whether the agency is doing an effective job of protecting current and former presidents and their families.

Mr. Rowe Jr. said the Secret Service needs Congress to provide more funding for personnel, overtime and facilities to handle the increasingly risky environment of today’s American political landscape, a demand that President Joe Biden has also supported, given the agency’s severe lack of resources.

Ryan Wesley Routh, who was arrested after the shooting at former President Trump's golf course in Florida on September 15, has been charged with two counts of possession of a weapon. The FBI believes this was an assassination attempt.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/mat-vu-my-thua-nhan-khong-ra-soat-san-golf-truoc-khi-phat-hien-tay-sung-185240917161640972.htm