Opinion

Secret service breach overblown

  • Courier Newsroom

 

robert traynam
Robert Traynam

I don’t get it. I do not understand all of this hoopla surrounding the recent White House security breach. Republicans and Democrats alike are all screaming bloody murder and calling for enhanced explanations as to why the Secret Service did not keep the front door of the White House locked.
Hmm, let’s see, where shall I begin.
Let’s first start off with all of the legislators calling for more investigations. First, as Americans, we all should be concerned about the security surrounding our first family. History has proven to us that living in the White House, regardless of party, attracts a certain segment of the population who become obsessed with harming the president and/or his family. We only have to look at the assassination attempts of Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford, Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman to know that the threat is real.
Presidents Kennedy, Lincoln, McKinley and Garfield paid the ultimate sacrifice and were killed while in office. Based on these facts, we all have a reason to be concerned, but we should have faith in the Secret Service. Let’s face it, they know what they’re doing, and they are competent in their craft. Calls for an investigation into lapses of security are dubious at best.

So why was the front door of the White House not locked? Who knows, but does it matter? The perimeter of the White House is so heavily guarded, locking the door really does not matter. Think of it this way: do you really think the doors of the presidential limo are locked every time it carries the president from one event to another. I doubt it, since no one is ever able to get that close. If they did, it is safe to assume that the intruder would be shot.
To be fair to the critics, the intruder did make it all the way across the north lawn of the White House to make it to first few steps of the White House, but by that time, dozens of Secret Service had then surrounded the person. They chose not to shoot the intruder, but the reality was that he was not going to get very far.

The reality is that the Secret Service has a very difficult job that is made more complex and challenging by guarding the first African-American first family (and you know what that means with respect to a rise of death threats and other horrible comments from some people) and the Service has to do all of this in a technological environment where cell phones, backpacks and even a remote control can be used as a weapon of mass destruction.
In short, they are being asked to do more with less, and do even more with a more sophisticated criminal. (The Service is also responsible for the protection of counterfeit money and other major events of national importance such as political conventions, the Olympics when they are here in the United States and other large-scale events).

Given all of these pressures, I believe the Service does a great job under extraordinary circumstances. They also do it under the glare of social media, the press, and legislators who are quick to make a political point, highlight and or make fun of an innocent mistake. I have no skin in the game with respect to this debate. In other words, I have no family members, or friends who work for the Service. I’m just a concerned American who calls it the way he sees it and strongly believes that some legislators and members of the press, along with some social media critics have this one all wrong.
Follow Robert Traynham on Twitter @roberttraynham.
https://www.phillytrib.com/commentary/article_d81edd20-2430-5b39-88dc-812d414a2dba.html

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