The Secret Service is under heavy scrutiny following two assassination attempts on former President Donald Trump.
It’s clear the agency has a major issue with incompetence.
And a Secret Service agent just embarrassed the embattled agency at the worst moment possible.
A negligent discharge
Every responsible gun owner knows the importance of following basic gun safety rules.
Treat every gun as though it were loaded, never point at anything you aren’t willing to destroy, and keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to fire.
These are basic things everyone should be taught.
But apparently the Secret Service didn’t get the memo.
A Secret Service agent accidentally shot himself while on duty.
The agent was hospitalized and reported to be in stable condition.
The Secret Service admitted that the event was a “negligent discharge.”
The Secret Service Office of Professional Responsibility announced that it will investigate the incident.
It is completely unacceptable that someone charged with such an important task of protecting current and former Presidents, their families, and Presidential candidates isn’t even able to properly handle firearms.
According to Real Clear Politics correspondent Susan Crabtree, this wasn’t an isolated incident.
Crabtree wrote on X that according to a source within the Secret Service, “[this] happens way too often.”
She also claimed that in recent years, following the COVID pandemic, the Secret Service has reduced its firearm training.
‼️‼️ A Secret Service agent accidentally shot himself last night. The injury is not life-threatening.
The incident occurred shortly before 8 p.m. in upper NW neighborhood in D.C. The USSS says no one else was injured, and the agency’s Office of Professional Responsibility plans… pic.twitter.com/XI7x986HKm
— Susan Crabtree (@susancrabtree) September 22, 2024
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned following the first assassination attempt that targeted Former President Donald Trump during a campaign rally.
During that rally, a man armed with a rifle was able to scale a building giving himself a clear shot at the former President, and was able to get several shots off before being taken down.
A bullet grazed Trump’s ear, and a rally attender was killed.
A second gunman, who is now in custody, took shots at Trump while he was golfing.
Widespread incompetence
It’s become clear that the Secret Service has a serious issue with incompetent personnel.
Congress recently passed a bill, unanimously, to increase the amount of resources the Secret Service will allocate to protecting the President.
A funding bill under consideration in the House would give the Secret Service an additional $231 million in funding.
The additional funding will be used during the remainder of the 2024 campaign season.
It’s unclear how throwing money at the problem is going to make Trump or anyone else under Secret Service protection any safer.
It’s clear the agency has an issue with lack of training and the quality of personnel it employs.
Meanwhile, Americans have lost confidence in the ability of the Secret Service to do its job.
Following the assassination attempts on Trump, the number of Americans who believed the Secret Service was doing a good job plummeted by 24%, according to a Gallup poll.
According to the poll, just 8% of Americans rate the agency’s performance as “excellent,” and just 24% rate it as “good.”
Now that Americans are finding out that Secret Service agents can’t even seem to handle firearms without shooting themselves, that confidence in the agency will surely be even lower.