Called Martin Luther King jr. On steroids and whether his stumbles could help harris win a state that democrats have claimed just once in the past 40 years . And israel says it struck a major blow against hezbollah, taking out the commander of an elite unit and his lieutenants just as they were planning a new october 7thstyle attack. What it means for the war going forward coming up. But we begin 46 days from Election Day with Pressure Building to keep the candidates safe and ongoing questions about the secret Services Ability to do it. New today, the Acting Director tells the Washington Post hes desperate, saying The Agency needs, quote, More Countersnipers and investigators, upgraded armored limousines for motorcades, and a greater supply of ballistic glass to fend off the unprecedented threats against those running for office. We will hear from Ronald Roe in a briefing at any minute now where were expected to get an update on the attempted assassination of Formerpresident Trump in july. Lets listen. So in todays hyperdynamic Threat Environment, the mission of the Secret Service is clear. We cannot afford to fail. After reviewing the planning, event details and coordination with partner agencies regarding the attempted assassination of Formerpresident Donald Trump on July 13th, our Mission Assurance Review is nearing its completion. As ive said, this was a failure on the part of the united states Secret Service. It is important that we hold ourselves accountable for the failures of July 13th and that we use the lessons learned to make sure that we do not have another failure like this again. The findings of the Mission Assurance Review have prompted the Secret Service to move into the Accountability Phase of this process. The Office Of Professional Responsibility and the office of integrity are reviewing the findings. As a result of these failures, what has become clear to me is we need a shift in paradigm in how we conduct our protective operations. As was demonstrated on sunday in West Palm beach, the Threat Level is evolving and requires this findings from this Mission Assurance Review. With respect to Command And Control of the site in butler, pennsylvania, the Secret Service has the main responsibility of building the site plan. We cannot abdicate or defer our responsibilities to others. Advance Team Personnel have an obligation to ensure that each site meets the protective requirements and principles of Secret Service methodology. The Secret Service did not give clear direction to the local partners. There was miscommunication with personnel at the tight. For example, the second at approximately 1810 local time, secret Service Informed Personnel that local police were addressing an issue at the 3 00 of the outer perimeter. At approximately 1810 local time, via phone call, the secret Service Security Room calls the Countersniper Response Agent reporting an individual on the roof of the Agr Building. That vital piece of information was not relayed over the Secret Service radio network. At approximately 1810 and 54 seconds, verified through Body Camera Footage of local Law Enforcement, officers confront the assailant on the roof of the Agr Building. At 1811. 05, via phone call, a Site Agent calls the assistant Site Agent to find out what exactly is going on at the 3 00, and during that call shots rang out. At 1811. 32, verified through Body Camera Footage, the first series of shots are fired by the assailant. At 1811. 36, again verified through Body Camera Footage, a second series of shots are fired by the assailant. At 1811. 47 through Body Camera Footage Secret Service countersnipers neutralized the threat. With respect to diligence, line of sight issues were acknowledged but not properly mitigated. Issues were encountered the day of the visit with respect to lineofsight concerns but they were not escalated to supervisors. While some members of the advance time were very diligent, there was complacency on the part of others that led to a breach of security protocols. With respect to accountability, the Mission Assurance Review has identified deficiencies in the Advance Planning and its implementation by Secret Service personnel. These employees will be held accountable and this agency has among the most robust stable of penalties in the entirety of the federal government. These penalties will be administered according to our disciplinary process. Due to federal regulations, i cannot get into Personnel Matters as they are proceeding. With respect to a Paradigm Shift, we are at a pivotal moment in the history of the Secret Service and at a Pivot Moment in the history of our country, and i have directed that the Secret Service embark on a significant Paradigm Shift that will redefine how we conduct protective operations. What occurred on sunday demonstrates that the Threat Environment in which the Secret Service operates is tremendous and under constant threat, and weve been in this heightened and increasingly heightened Threat Environment since July 13th. This reality has necessitated that we significantly increase our protective footprint and we have already done to do so following the events of July 13th. This increased operational tempo requires additional resources to not only account for costs being incurred today, but insure we have the tools, the technology and personnel needed to meet these new requirements and execute our mission going forward. The Paradigm Shift will be a Driving Force to move the Secret Service from a state of reaction to a state of readiness, and the vision is for the Secret Service to be more agile with the ability to escalate protection to the highest levels for numerous protectees for undetermined periods of time. But in order to do this, we need additional personnel, technical assets and equipment for the sustainment of immediate and future needs. Our personnel have been in a state of hypervigilance following July 13th. We are certainly working our people hard, and i have used this term publicly, red lining. This cannot be about working our people harder, so with respect to changes the workforce, the american public, they can expect changes in our processes for advances. There will be an increased use of technology, not only to assist in communications but also situational awareness when we are doing our protective mission. There will be organizational changes. For example, ive already directed the creation of an applied Research And Development section to field new technologies, leverage the research of other Government Agencies and calibrate our technical Security Assets to stay ahead of Threat Vectors and technical collection impacting Secret Service equities. This will be an iterative process, meaning it will be constantly evaluated, validated, updated and evolving. We cannot be stagnant. We must be weaned off the reliance of partners within dhs to assist us during highoperational times. The Secret Service should be selfreliant outside of national special security events. However, we recognize that we will always need assistance from our partners within the department of Homeland Security and our partners at the Department Of Defense. I want to take this moment now also to thank you though thank our workforce. I want to conclude by thanking the men and women of the Secret Service who are working tirelessly. This summer we experienced an unprecedented operational tempo for our agency. Within a 45day Period the Secret Service successfully implemented our operational Security Planning at three national special security events, the nato summit, the Republican National Convention and the democratic national convention. We successfully protected both the president ial debate in philadelphia and multiple protectee visits commemorating the anniversary of the September 11th attacks. All of this took place while protecting major party candidates on the campaign trail. This high operational tempo continues as the Secret Service prepares for the United Nations General Assembly next week where we expect to protect more than 140 visiting World Leaders and heads of state. I am proud of all that weve accomplished in a very difficult and tumultuous time for The Agency, and i recognize and thank the men and women of the Secret Service and their families for continuing to make great sacrifices in support of our enduring mission. With that, i will take questions. Reporter director, given all of the Attention And Scrutiny related to these events, sir. Given all of the Attention And Scrutiny related to these events do you believe your highest level of protectees need to campaign differently in how they organize their Eye Vents and how they live their daily lives, things like trips to Golf Courses or recreational time . Will they have to live differently to be safe . Ultimately, kelly, it is the responsibility of the Secret Service to make sure that we provide a secure environment for our protectees. We want them to make sure that they can live their lives with some type of normalcy, but they must do so with us providing the highest levels of protection, which we have been doing since July 13th. And so it is ultimately our responsibility to make sure that wherever our protectees go we are creating a safe environment, and that comes back to us being able to use our methodologies, to use our redundancies, our systems that we have in place to create those secure environments. Reporter do they need to campaign differently, sir . I reporter organized, set up outdoor events, that kind of thing . Since July 13th we have been securing successfully outdoor events, and what you are seeing is an increased use of assets, increased use of ballistic glass. We certainly make sure when they are out there at an outdoor venue that we are using our protective methodologies to create that safe environment. Reporter hello, director. Thank you for taking the time. Could you just kind of go into a bit more detail about the conversations you had with Trump Campaign Staff about the selection of the Butler Site . The report says that Secret Service agents saw it as a Challenge And Staff wanted to have the rally there. Did the staff go against your recommendation . Can you speak to exactly what was said and what the outcome was . So, listen, the staff chooses a site and ultimately it is on the Secret Service to secure it. So when the site was selected, the advanced team went about identifying areas of concern. The Agr Building was one of those hazards that was identified. But let me just be clear, maria. Ultimately it is the secret Services Responsibility to secure a site. We certainly have conversations er and it doesnt matter whether it is a Campaign Staff or White House staff. We have conversations and we have very good working relationships with those staffs, but ultimately it is the secret Services Responsibility to secure a site. Reporter director, thank you. Based on your review and analysis, what is the reason, what is the best explanation for why there was not Law Enforcement personnel covering the roof, physically on the roof itself or making sure someone could not get on top of the roof . The Followup Question would be how disappointed are you in what you described as deficiencies in diligence . Sure. So ultimately, pierre, we have to be very direct and clear when we are talking to our state and local counterparts. With respect to butler, i think what the Mission Assurance Review has identified is that there was that lack of clarity, and i can tell you since July 13th when ive been out on the road and i have watched Field Offices and i gave guidance upon becoming the Acting Director to The Field. We have to be very clear when we are talking to our state and local partners. We value those relationships with them. We need them to be assisting us and be shoulder to shoulder with us, and it appears that there was that lack of clarity with respect to with respect to butler. And go again with your followup, pierre . Reporter so there was a lack of clarity that that roof should be secure, period, full stop . There was discussion about how the roof was going to be secured, and i think what it came back to is we should have challenged what that how that mechanism was being implemented, meaning we should have been more direct. We cannot be too we cannot be overly deferential to state and local Law Enforcement. Ultimately, it is our responsibility and so we have to be very clear when we are asking them for support. They want to help us, and what we found is that in this they they in the Mission Assurance interviews, it became apparent that in comparison to prior visits to that area, there was one prior visit in 2020, that there was a lack of assertion with respect to what exactly state and locals would have to require or would be required to support that advance. Reporter Second Question, simply, how disappointed are you when you see that as the report states that some personnel did not follow Secret Service protocols . Well, im not going to get into employee disciplinary matters, but what i can tell you is the men and women of the Secret Service are dedicated professionals. And so while July 13th is a failure, were not proud of it, but we certainly have been rising to this moment. The men and women in The Field are rising to this moment. They are working tirelessly to make sure that the people we protect are safe. And so i will never be disappointed in our folks. I am proud of this agency. I am proud of our people. Reporter hi. Thanks so much for doing this. On the question of the Agr Buildings, is there a process thats standard for the day of the event, that somebody from the Secret Service looks around and makes sure all of the assets are where they are . And since the roof of the Agr Building was such a glaring omission, why didnt anybody raise that issue at the time or, secondly, in the Security Room look and say, i dont see any local police in here, how are we going to hear them . Right. I think it was a failure to challenge our assumptions, the assumption local police would have more of a presence in that Agr Building. Getting back to your question, there is that diligence that has to be done by the Site Agents to make sure that, hey, all of the assets are in place. And so there was an assumption that they had it covered, but there clearly was not that followup to make sure. Reporter but is there a process you look around, like a Punch List and check it off . It is part of our the principles of our advance and our protective methodologies. Okay. Secondly to follow up on the campaign question, you said it is ultimately the secret Services Responsibility. So when theres a disagreement between the campaign and the Secret Service on a security issue, who has the last word . So it is not about disagreement. It is about a negotiation. They certainly dont want any harm to come to their principal, and so they respect us. Usually what it boils down to is escalating it up to a supervisor and a senior staff level. What i can tell you is if there were discrepancies, and there were, regarding how the site was supposed to have been secured, how supervisors were briefed and supervisors reported in their Mission Assurance interviews that they envisioned harder assets to be able to secure that line of sight, to be able to mitigate anything that might have been looking in or would have created an openness on the site at the butler farm show. So on the morning of, if there were those deficiencies, they were never escalated up to the supervisors to be able to resolve. Reporter thank you, sir. I have two questions. Theyre related. The first is looking forward. The house just voted within the last couple of hours unanimously from those that were present in the chamber to give president ial candidates the exact same secret Service Protection as sitting President S. My first question is can you handle that . Weve been doing that since July 13th, david. Reporter so what is the purpose of the bill . I dont know. You would have to ask members of congress that. What i can tell you is that when i say the highest levels of secret Service Protection, the former president is getting tactical assets. He is getting everything that the former president im sorry, that the current president has with respect to Secret Service assets. Reporter and that was my Second Question. Can you explain that president , Formerpresident Trump is getting the same protection as President Biden and Vice President harris . Because a lot of members of congress on Capitol Hill are skeptical about that. Theres a lot of talk saying clearly he didnt have the same protection because if he did the Golf Course would have been secure in West Palm beach. Can you tell people what is going on with that . So with respect to West Palm beach, what i can tell you without getting into our techniques, practices or procedures, what i can tell you is on that day there were countersniper elements that were present with the former president on the Golf Course, in proximity. There was an entire Counterassault Team that was there in proximity. There wa a Jump Team in proximity. The Advance Agent who was part of the first element, whose goal was to sweep ahead did his job. That young man is a very young agent, early in his career. His vigilance, his reaction is exactly how we trained and exactly what we want our personnel to do. He identified a threat, an individual with a long gun, and he made swift decisions and took a swift action to be able to mitigate that. No shot was fired at the former president. The former president was not exposed to where he was on the Golf Course, and what ive said and i said this monday that the procedures work. The redundancies work so that high level of protection is working. Reporter Acting Director, thank you very much for doing this. Two questions. Just one on West Palm beach. The busy public road that is adjacent to that 6th Hole where the suspect was hiding is a wellknown Blind Spot on that specific Golf Course. Why did no one within the u. S. Secret Service Sweep behind that Fence Line for threats . They were sweeping they were sweeping ahead, nicolle. What i just explained is that element, that lead element was going ahead sweeping. Reporter but