He spent 22 years in the Secret Service. Now retired agent Jeff James speaks to the South Shore Press about the attempted assassination of President Donald J. Trump.
The now Chief of Police at Robert Morris University goes in-depth about the many security mistakes made that day, and one big change he would make to protect all candidates. He spoke to South Shore Press News Director Stefan Mychajliw in an interview that can also be heard on our Twitter page @SSPNewsroom or our Facebook page @TheSouthShorePress.
South Shore Press News Director Stefan Mychajliw: “As a retired Secret Service agent, what was your first reaction at the news that there was an assassination attempt of former President Trump?”
Retired Secret Service agent Jeff James: “I wish I would have been there to help. My professional reaction? There had to be some sort of a failure. In the Secret Service, even if the President gets hit with a pie, that’s a failure, let alone get shot and hit with a bullet.”
SM: “Were you thinking ‘how did a kid with a rifle get on a roof from 130 yards away and fire off multiple shots at the President?’”
JJ: “That is the big question now. One of two things happened. The Secret Service does protection in a series of concentric circles. Whoever is being protected is at the center. The first circle are agents in suits. The middle perimeter is Secret Service personnel, mixed in with local law enforcement partners. The outer perimeter is law enforcement partners. When the Secret Service agent who gave the briefing that morning, if they went to their law enforcement partner and said “we’re concerned about this roof. This is your responsibility. Don’t let anyone up there. If an employee comes out, tell them they have to go through the metal detector.” If they said that, then it’s the officer’s failure.
But, if the Secret Service did not give them clear, concise, codified instructions, then the agent is responsible for that failure.
Either way, the Secret Service is responsible for the whole umbrella of those we protect.”
SM: “What about the actions immediately after? Once shots are fired at the President, you need to get him moving and in his truck. It seemed like minutes passed before that happened.”
JJ: “What happened (in the assassination aftermath) is not standard operating procedure. I was watching TV with my family saying ‘what are you doing?’ Their first reaction was awesome, laying on top of the President. The next reaction ‘let me get my shoes,’ the fist pump, no.
We are not waiting for your shoes. We’re not getting your hat. We are gone. Running down the steps and getting into the armor needed to happen a lot faster.”
SM: “Even in the front, the agent didn’t seem tall enough to protect the President, God forbid, if there were multiple shots, they would have had a clear shot at the President.”
JJ: “I worked with guys who were 5’ 6.” When they had that wall of bodies around the President, what we practice and train to do is, to duck their head down. Even if that female agent is 5’ 6,” his head would be ducked down under cover. The need for that would have been mitigated had they been moving.
The concern there is, we always take the first volley of shots as a distraction, with the philosophy that the real attack is still coming. If three more guys with rifles start shooting, that’s why you don’t want to be around there.”
SM: “Were there any other lapses where you thought ‘this never should have happened?’”
JJ: “The young man getting on that roof, that was the first domino. The sniper’s reaction neutralized him in half a second. That was appropriate.”
SM: “How important is it, moving forward, to have a ‘soup to nuts’ review of policies and procedures, so that something like this never happens again?”
JJ: “The protocol is, once anyone under Secret Service protection is assaulted or attacked, we immediately hand over that investigation to the FBI. They’ll make recommendations, along with an internal review.
Frankly, outdoor events are extremely difficult. It’s a sea of color. It’s constant movement. Sight lines that go out hundreds of yards. Give me an arena any day.
You have things at an outdoor event that you can’t mitigate. Someone could be 2,000 yards away with mortars and lob then into the event. Even if they don’t kill the President, they’re going to cause a mass casualty event. There’s nothing you can do to mitigate that.”
SM: “So the recommendation would be indoor events for all candidates?”
JJ: “That would be every Secret Service agent’s recommendation.”