The Attempted Assassination of President Donald J. Trump

Over the course of the last two days, I have watched a torrent of misleading social media posts on the attempted assassination of the 45th President Donald J. Trump. They are maligning the men and women of the United States Secret Service, and I feel compelled to address them.

As some of you are aware, I spent a number of years assigned to the NYPD’s Intelligence Division and part of my role was dignitary protection. In this capacity, I performed countless protection assignments, working hand in hand with the USSS, Capitol Police, and State Department Diplomatic Security. I was the principal architect of the NYPD protective security detail for both the planned visit of Saint Pope John Paul II at Shea Stadium and the actual visit at the Aqueduct Racetrack. I also did the security detail for President Bill Clinton’s visit to Shea Stadium for the Jackie Robinson Memorial. So I am extremely well versed in the planning and implementation of security details.

What happened in Butler, Pa. was an aberration and something I am still trying to wrap my head around. I do not have all the details, but what I will say is that there was clearly a breakdown. A full investigation of this incident needs to be conducted, preferably at the Congressional level and under oath, and swift action should be taken if warranted.

With this in mind, I will give you my thoughts, based on my experience, and what I would have done if this was my site.

To be successful, protection details involve the coordinated efforts of both the US Secret Service and members of state and local police agencies. The USSS simply does not have the manpower resources to provide 100% independent coverage, so they rely heavily on local law enforcement to augment their numbers. In NYC, the USSS was able to count on the men and women of the Intelligence Division which had decades of experience in protection assignments.

Since the building where the shooter was located was in the external perimeter, it was most likely allocated to be secured by local law enforcement by the advance team doing the security survey. Clearly, something happened, and that roof was left uncovered. The question of why this occurred is of paramount importance. Even though this rooftop was in the external perimeter, the fact that it was so close, and had a line of sight to the protectee, would make it a priority. If this had been my site, I would have had a post-stander assigned and would have personally ensured that they were in place before the protectee arrived for the event.

There are reports that civilians attempted to alert law enforcement to the threat prior to the shooting. I have seen nothing that counters this assertion, so I will take it as fact. If someone was notified and or assigned to this post, then we need to know why they failed to identify the threat and take action.

The next question that comes to mind is what the communication setup was. There can be a significant delay in relaying information if there is not a dedicated interagency communication hub. Was the information coming in from local authorities being properly relayed to their USSS counterparts? One personal story that comes to mind is the time we were transporting a dignitary via a secondary motorcade route. I was in the helicopter, doing a quick advance survey on the route, ahead of the motorcade, when we observed a bridge in the upright position on a maritime navigation route. The last thing you want is a protectee’s motorcade coming to a full stop. Fortunately, me and my USSS partner were able to alert the motorcade in time to slow it down, so that it never fully stopped, while a Highway Patrol car was able to get the bridge put down right before the motorcade arrived. It is an inconvenient truth, but despite the best planning, mistakes can and do happen and you have to respond accordingly.

I am also hearing widely disseminated reports that the Counter Sniper Teams (CST) in place were local law enforcement and I must take issue with this. The CST I saw in the news coverage is the USSS CST. A lot of time has passed since I did protection, but I cannot imagine a high-threat protective detail using the local law enforcement as the primary CST within the inner perimeter. I can only assume that this was a mistake in the rush to get information out. I back up this statement with the fact that the CST shown in media footage is wearing a USSS back patch on his BDUs.

What concerns me more regarding this is the lack of immediate action once the threat was recognized. The USSS CST is considered one of the best, for obvious reasons, and the distance between them and the shooter was ridiculously close. What I want to know is what the rules of engagement were? Was CST given the green light to take the shot, once the threat was identified, or were they advised to stand down? If they were told to stand down, what was the reasoning for this? Again, this is something that needs to be investigated fully.

I also want to address an issue that sickens me. Far too many people are disparaging the females assigned to the detail. The response from the protection detail was immediate and swift. In two seconds, they had secured President Trump, providing physical coverage and assessing his injuries. That Trump was not immediately evacuated has caused many to criticize the USSS, but this is unfair and speaks volumes about the lack of knowledge concerning protection. This is seconds after the shots have been fired, your protectee is hit, and you don’t know the extent of the injuries or if there are other threats. Do you exit stage left or stage right? The limo is a hardened location, but are you running into an ambush? These are the questions going through your mind and you need an answer from those ahead of you before you make things worse.

You had two CSTs providing over-watch, along with USSS Counter Assault and local tactical units providing close support. Additionally, there were other protective measures nearby that I will not mention for security reasons. The detail did what they were trained to do. Once it was made clear that there were no other threats, they evacuated. Each of them, including the female agent on the stage, willingly put themselves in the line of fire, using their bodies as cover for the protectee. If you have never done this, perhaps you should sit this one out on providing morning after commentary.

This also cannot be compared to the attempted assassination of President Reagan. In that incident, they were adjacent to the limo when the shooting occurred and therefore it was the only logical place to go.

Many are also attacking the one female agent for not being able to holster her weapon. In the aftermath of a shooting, when adrenaline is flowing freely and you are scanning for secondary threats, nitpicking on a topic like this is ridiculous. Making comments that disparage female agents says more about you than it does about them. I have over two decades in law enforcement and I can tell you that I have worked with females who were absolute beasts when it came to doing their jobs and ones I would gladly go into battle with. Yet I cannot say the same for some males I worked with. Remember the old adage: It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.

In the end, mistakes and failures will be identified and presumably heads will roll. Congress needs to find out whether there was adequate coverage of the former president, considering the unprecedented threat level against him, and this starts with having both DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and USSS Director Kimberly Cheatle testify under oath. Until we have definitive answers, everything is just speculation, and I urge people to exercise caution until all the facts are known.

The level of vitriol, from politicians, pundits, celebrities, and social media personalities, and the repeated personal attacks against the former president, which have been going on since the day he first announced that he was running for President, reached their natural conclusion in this assassination attempt. As someone who had to deal with threats, I can tell you that this constant barrage of negativity serves as the foundation for warped minds to de-humanize a person and justify such actions. You can have a difference of opinion and you can hold different political views, but that is what we have a ballot box for. I am reminded of a scene in a British comedy show called ‘The Mitchell and Webb Look.’ During one particular scene, they portray two German SS officers and one asks the other: "Hans, are we the baddies?" Today, a lot of people, including the majority of the media, need to be asking themselves this same question.

In closing, I will say this: When you engage in 24/7 attacks, identifying your opponent as: ‘Hitler,’ a fascist, a threat to democracy, and other such inflammatory rhetoric, you are tacitly encouraging this sort of behavior. Anyone who has done this needs to have a ‘Come to Jesus' moment and take a long, hard look at yourself. If you are gleeful that there was an attempt, or saddened that the shooter missed, you need serious help. Corey Comperatore, an innocent husband and father, lost his life protecting his family, others were seriously wounded, and a former President of the United States was almost assassinated. Acceptance and encouragement of this type of action is the real threat to democracy, and it is time for everyone to wake up.

Chernobyl & Memories of September 11th, 2001

I recently saw a post on social media discussing the new HBO mini-series: Chernobyl, so I thought I would check it out. Before I was an author, I was a NYC cop. I remember when the incident occurred back in April 1986, and all the ensuing media coverage. What I didn’t expect was the flashbacks I would experience and the parallels, to what occurred on September 11th that I would be presented with.

First, let me say that, from a historical perspective, I highly recommend watching this show. They have done an amazing job and it is quite compelling. That being said, as I watched it I began feeling more and more anxious and recalling my time in lower Manhattan following the September 11th terror attack.

Here are a few reasons:

1.       After the explosion at Chernobyl, police and fire responded to the scene, completely unaware of the dangers they would soon face. Even after they realized something wasn’t right, they continued to stay and perform their duty. By the same example, on the morning of September 11th, it was obvious we were under attack, but that didn’t mean anything to the first responders. Even after the South Tower fell, everyone remained behind; and continued in the evacuation and rescue efforts.

 2.       Residents from nearby Pripyat gathered on a train trestle to watch the incident in the distance, unaware of the danger that lurked in front of them. In one scene, you can see the radioactive ash that was being carried along by the wind, enveloping the onlookers, while children played in it. It became known as the Bridge of Death. Sadly, I remember the streets of lower Manhattan being covered in the same ash. It wasn’t radioactive, but it was certainly contaminated with toxins. Everywhere you walked you breathed it in and kicked it up with your footfalls. It reminded me of a grey snowstorm, but instead of it being a winter wonderland it was actually a nightmare.

 3.       In one scene, a mask is given to one of the miners, brought in to dig beneath the destroyed reactor. He asks if the mask will do anything, and the reply is ‘probably not.’ The same thing happened on 9/11, when we were given basic painters masks to wear. It seemed ludicrous to me, knowing the masks provided zero protection from the particles we were dealing with. It was so bad that even the cartridges on the heavy duty respirators were clogging in minutes. There is only so much you can do before you end up just accepting your fate and work without the useless equipment.

 4.       Lies – Socialism is many things, but transparent it is not. The residents and responders were lied to ‘for their own good.’ The international community was even lied to when they were told the situation at Chernobyl was minor and that it was under control. Everything was about assuaging their fears, but the reality was that the lies were all designed to protect the government, not the citizens. We like to believe that our government is different, but it is not. After 9/11, the focus was on returning New York City (and the Stock Market) back to normal, as quickly as possible, following the attack. The EPA Director came out and emphatically stated that the air around Ground Zero was safe; it wasn’t and they knew that. It was bad enough that they lied to the first responders and construction workers, but they re-opened the area and exposed innocent civilians to risk, many of whom are now sick and dying. There was no consideration given to the secondary contamination risk and the majority of us brought our uniforms and gear home, exposing out families to the toxins. Sadly, the government won’t even acknowledge this, even though the data shows an increase in medical illnesses among family members versus the general public. In the case of Chernobyl, the State was aware of a flaw in the RBMK reactors, but they chose to bury that fact. Prior to 9/11, the government was aware that there was actionable intelligence of a planned attack, yet this fact was kept out of the 9/11 Commission Report. Ironically, the death toll from Chernobyl is estimated between 3,000 and 100,000 (initial explosion and long term sickness), although the official number stands at only 31. We lost 3,000 people in the initial attack on the World Trade Center site and since then almost the same number have died and there are nearly 100,000 people that are sick from their exposure.

 5.       Promises – Interestingly enough, the brave men they sent in were promised that the State would take care of them. I wonder how many went in believing that the State would keep its promise, only to find out it was a lie. It’s easy to promise something in the middle of a crisis, but when the crisis is over memories fade quickly. Today, 17 years after the terror attack of September 11th, the heroes and victims are still fighting our government to receive the care and compensation they were promised. Today, June 11th, 2019, Actor / Comedian Jon Stewart and many of the responders testified before Congress. Sadly, while the gallery was packed with those who were sick and dying, very few representatives even bothered to show up for the hearing. I don’t think I can put it any more poignantly than Mr. Stewart did: “What an incredible metaphor this room is for the entire process that getting healthcare and benefits for 9/11 first responders has come to. Behind me, a filled room of 9/11 first responders—and in front of me, a nearly empty Congress."

 At the end of the HBO show I was left asking myself a very difficult question: What separates the United States from Soviet Russia? The answer I arrived at: Nothing.

This isn’t an indictment of our system of government, but rather it is an indictment of our governmental leaders. The people of the Soviet Union didn’t elect their leaders, but we did. We expected them to be different, but in the end they caved to their own greed and hubris, just like those in the former USSR. This isn’t a democrat or republican problem, it is a CONGRESS problem. Both sides have turned their back on the victims and heroes.

To be fair, when the renewal for the Victim’s Compensation Fund came up, many eagerly jumped on to co-sponsor the bill, but they were the exception, rather than the rule. No, the vast majority of those current sponsors have had to be forced to support it. To them #NeverForget is a catchy phase they dust-off once a year; a campaign slogan that is hollow. It doesn’t personally affect them and they don’t care. The only time they care is when they are shamed into it at the threat of a political challenge.

No, the people of the Soviet Union didn’t have a choice, but we do.

I implore you, as a 9/11 cancer survivor, on behalf of all those who are sick and dying from the toxins they ingested, take one moment and contact your elected representatives and demand they take action to fully fund the Victim’s Compensation Fund. This September 11th should send a resounding signal to those who gave every last measure that day that their sacrifices will Never Be Forgotten.

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The Derailment of the Trump Train?!?!

The immediate aftermath of President Donald Trump signing the now infamous Omnibus Spending Bill seemed to be a visceral one. In fact, there were widespread reports of weeping and gnashing of teeth among some of the more hardcore followers.  To be fair, at face value, the bill does seem to be a direct affront to many of the things that the President campaigned on, but does it herald the coming of Armageddon?  The answer is a resounding: No.

I’m really not sure why people seem to be losing their minds over this, but they need to pause and take a deep breath. The reality is that you’d have to have just awoken from a coma to be shocked by any of this. Perhaps it has been the continuous chanting of drain the swamp, which led many folks to view things with rose-colored glasses, but the reality is draining a swamp as big as Washington D.C. is not going to happen for a LONG time.

To put it in terms everyone can understand, it is like adding 30lbs over the winter and then thinking you can lose it all in a few days before the start of the Memorial Day weekend. It just ain’t happening, sport.

It’s also not Trump’s job to drain it, but we the voters. We elected them, now we have to eject them!

Actually, if you take a moment to really read and digest the bill, something which 99% of lawmakers didn’t do before they voted on it, you’d get an interesting look into how your representatives view you.

The Omnibus Bill isn’t a budget, but a well contrived spending spree that was most likely drafted and voted on quickly to prove a point. Call it: The Swamp Strikes Back. Folks seem to forget that Congress was around long before Trump and will be there long after he is gone. The swamp didn’t form overnight and if you think they are just going to just roll onto their backs, and be submissive, you’re insane. Trump has been hammering them at every turn and they just did a push-back, showing him they aren’t quite as dysfunctional as many believe them to be.

The reality is that they KNOW what they are doing. The T.V. theatrics are just that, well-rehearsed theatrics. It is a spectacle, played by political parties, to appeal to their individual bases.  Republicans blame democrats, who in turn blame republicans, nothing gets done and they all get rich without having to actually accomplish anything.  Trump threatens that status quo and they are doing their best to push back.

Two years ago this month I wrote a post called The Curious Case of Donald Trump that questioned whether he was what we needed. Two years later I can say that I believe he is.

Congress, as a whole, believes they just played him, but I believe they actually played right into his hand. It would have been political suicide for a republican to come out and say that they were against funding the military. Likewise, democrats needed a win and they got it with Planned Parenthood. Most question why they didn’t address DACA, but to be completely honest that is an emotional issue and isn’t really a make-or-break issue for them. In fact, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer actually commented that:

“At the end of the day, as the minority party, we feel good about being able to succeed in so many ways. We don’t have the House, we don’t have the Senate, we don’t have the presidency, but we produced a darn good bill for the priorities we have believed in.” 

Think about it for a moment: “…..the priorities we have believed in.”

Translation: DACA folks, you’re not our priority right now.

Remember, if you actually solve a problem then you are no longer able to campaign on it.

I believe majority leader’s Ryan and McConnell overplayed their hand and will come out of this much weaker. Trump campaigned on rebuilding the military, and he got the money for that. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see him pull a rabbit out of the hat, in terms of funding other projects, because the devil is always in the details. Republicans on the other hand excoriated the left for reckless spending, but did just that in this bill and they even managed to get democrats to praise it.

Personally, I think we need to hold a Roll Call of our elected reps and ask three fundamental questions:

1.       Did you draft any of the provisions in the bill and if you did which ones?

2.       Did you read the 2,232 page bill?

3.       If you didn’t, why did you vote the way you did?

In the end, I think many will look back at this bill as potentially a new Ides of March moment leading to the downfall of some in Congress.