President-elect Donald J. Trump is reportedly closing in on a familiar name to helm the United States Secret Service, which has been marred by controversy regarding its serial failure to protect the incoming president during his July rally at Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump was shot during that assassination attempt. The incident led to the resignation of director Kimberly Cheatle, Jill Biden’s gal pal, for the incompetence that was unearthed, which led to bipartisan outrage. That’s why Mr. Trump is eying former Secret Service agent Dan Bongino to helm the agency. And yes, the headline for the CNN piece about this pick was outrageous (via CNN):
Donald Trump is considering a right-wing media personality, people who have served on his US Secret Service detail, as well as others to run the agency that has been plagued by its failure to preempt two alleged assassination attempts on Trump this summer, sources familiar with the president-elect’s thinking tell CNN.
Podcaster Dan Bongino, a former Secret Service agent who was highly critical of the agency’s leadership as security failures around the alleged attempts on Trump’s life became clear, as well as Sean Curran, the head of Trump’s current detail, are among those being considered for the job.
Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe, meanwhile, was unsuccessful in trying to set up a meeting with Trump this week.
Others on the list of potential picks include Robert Engel, the former head of Trump’s detail who was with him on January 6, 2021, and testified to the House select committee about the former president’s speech at the Ellipse that preceded the US Capitol attack.
As Trump continues to roll out names for top positions in the incoming administration, his choice for director of the Secret Service will be pivotal to the agency’s future – and a particularly personal one for the president-elect.
Still, the headline for this article: “Trump eyes right-wing personality Dan Bongino among current and former agents for US Secret Service director.”
CNN: Trump considering "right-wing personality" Dan Bongino for Secret Service Director.
— johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) November 20, 2024
(He was a Secret Service agent for over a decade) pic.twitter.com/ddtb2OK09d
And these people wonder why the “CNN sucks” chant is still popular, along with general disgust and mistrust of legacy media outlets. This agency made a case against its existence a few months after the Butler attempt, and the succeeding articles pinpointed severe lapses in security, training, and threat assessment. There are still lingering questions.