Why Wasn't the Secret Service Doing Its Job? U.S. Presidential Security Back in the Spotlight

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[The Financial News] An incident in which an armed suspect approached a dinner venue in downtown Washington, D.C., on the 25th local time, where U.S. President Donald Trump and other senior government officials were attending, has once again put the United States Secret Service (USSS), which is responsible for protecting the president, under scrutiny.
On the 27th, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that the USSS's security protocol is likely to undergo major changes after this incident, following two assassination attempts on President Trump over the past two years.
People invited to the event who witnessed the commotion criticized the USSS, saying it was so easy to enter the Hilton Hotels, where the event was held, by showing only an invitation or ticket, without any ID check. They asked, "What on earth was the Secret Service doing?"
An annual White House press corps dinner was being held in the hotel's banquet hall to celebrate the First Amendment, and about 2,500 people were in attendance.
Cole Thomas Allen, identified as the suspect, had reserved and checked into a hotel room the day before the incident, and appears to have carefully studied the hotel's internal layout in advance.
Jason Pack, a former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent, said, "He did not break through security on the day of the event. He had already beaten it when he booked the room," adding, "The Secret Service built an outer defense line to stop an army, but all the suspect needed was a room key."
A manifesto Allen sent to his family shortly before the attack mocked the USSS's security gaps. He wrote, "I don't know what the Secret Service does. I thought there would be cameras and metal detectors everywhere, but there was nothing," and added, "Everyone seemed focused only on protesters outside and newly arriving guests, and no one appears to have thought about the people who had checked in the day before."
People who had attended the event in the past also claimed that security was tighter than in previous years.
However, the incident took place at the same location where then-President Ronald Wilson Reagan was shot in 1981, forcing attendees to relive that nightmare and endure fear.
USSS spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said the existing security system had proven effective, but that improvements were expected at every stage.
Acting Minister of Justice Todd Blanche also stressed, "The system worked because the suspect was stopped." The suspect was reportedly intercepted in the outer security zone before entering the dinner venue.
Still, because the incident came after a series of assassination attempts against President Trump, the USSS is likely to face criticism for its complacent response.
After the incident, President Trump criticized the hotel, saying it was "not a particularly safe building," and argued that a large banquet hall should be built inside the White House to address security concerns.
jjyoon@fnnews.com Yoon Jae-joon Reporter