In 1962, composer Irving Berlin released his last musical, “Mr. President.” The show includes a silly little song that includes the line “The Secret Service makes me nervous.”

I was reminded of this song after the real Secret Service failed to protect former President Donald Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, three weeks ago. The bureaucracy seems more concerned with protecting the agency’s management than Trump.

We have heard reports that the shooter, Thomas Crooks, was spotted by some at the rally 90 minutes before he fired eight shots, wounding Trump and two others and killing retired Fire Chief Corey Comperatore. A Secret Service sniper, the first to be deployed at these rallies, shot Crooks. Soon after, the familiar blame game began.

Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned after a poor performance before the House Oversight Committee in which she revealed little to nothing about the incident. Acting Director Ronald Rowe Jr. acknowledged that the agency failed in its mission to fully protect Trump, but blamed local law enforcement and did not disclose information about the progress of the investigation. Local police denied allegations that they were responsible for the security failure.

Rowe and FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate testified last week before a joint hearing of the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security Committees. Rowe said agents did not notice the presence of a man on the roof of the AGR building until he began firing his weapon. He also acknowledged that responsibility for the security lapse at the former president’s rally ultimately lies with the Secret Service.

When asked by Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) if anyone had been fired from the agency, Rowe responded in the usual bureaucratic manner that the investigation was ongoing and he did not want to take any action that could harm an innocent person. Senators from both parties were outraged by his response, as was right. They also expressed shock that Crooks flew a drone over the area on the day of the shooting and no one seemed to think this was unusual.

The video, taken by a rally attendee sitting behind Trump, shows Crooks moving across the roof of the building to a position where he has a clear line of fire. Earlier, several rally attendees had shouted to police that someone was on the roof, but neither the Secret Service nor local police responded. One officer said he started to climb onto the roof, but when Crooks pointed his gun at him, he backed away. Several people blamed a communication breakdown between the Secret Service and local police. One longs for the days of walkie-talkies.

Some in Congress and conservative media suggest that the Biden administration’s emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) may have lowered standards for Secret Service applicants. A look at the agency’s website might support this argument. It lists various recruitment categories and addresses African Americans, Pacific Islanders, Hispanics, Indigenous peoples, the Federal Women’s Program (FWP), LGBTQ, people with disabilities/disabled veterans, the Office of the Ombudsman, and the Inclusion and Engagement Council, among others, but there is no mention of performance.

Three years ago, the Washington Post reported: “The morale of the Uniformed Division (UD) officers guarding the White House is so poor that a new study by a panel of the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) concluded that employee job satisfaction and engagement posed a ‘worrying risk’ linked to a ‘crisis in UD’s work-life balance.'”

NBC News recently reported: “Former Secret Service officials say it can be difficult to persuade experienced agents to stay in the job.”

It’s enough to make us all nervous.

Email Cal Thomas at [email protected].

Copy the story link