The gunman who reportedly targeted former President Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach golf course with an SKS rifle took advantage of a well-known security vulnerability that the Secret Service has been aware of for years.
Photographers covering Trump’s activities have repeatedly managed to secure positions around the course’s perimeter, easily capturing photos of the former president either playing golf or riding in a golf cart.
Some photographers, using telephoto lenses, have been able to snap images of Trump from the bushes without being detected. On several occasions, they’ve gotten as close as 75 yards away, without drawing any significant attention from Secret Service agents.
“They’re always amazed how close they can get to Trump and his entourage — it’s easy for them,” one source from a photo agency told The Post.
Photographers generally inform the Secret Service of their presence to avoid being mistaken for a threat, but the source mentioned that agents are easy to bypass.
According to sources cited by the Washington Post, the Secret Service was fully aware of this security gap and even attempted to alert Trump, though he remained confident that his golf clubs were adequately secured.
Authorities should drop their territorial dispute over handling the Florida Trump-assassination case The alarming attempt on Trump’s life came just two months after Thomas Matthew Crooks climbed onto a roof and fired eight shots at Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, grazing the former president’s ear.
Officials say Ryan Wesley Routh managed to position himself between 300 and 500 yards away from Trump after spending 12 hours in a makeshift sniper’s nest just outside the fence near Summit Boulevard, a busy road by Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach.
The golf course, which Trump visits frequently when staying at Mar-a-Lago, spans hundreds of acres and is covered in dense tropical vegetation, providing ample concealment.
The source mentioned that photographers can take photos of Trump with surprising ease at the West Palm Beach course, pointing out “dozens” of hidden gaps in the thick foliage surrounding the property.
Even in areas where the tree line appears unbroken, persistent photographers can find a view of the course. Some of the lighter vegetation can be pulled apart by hand, creating new openings where anyone can watch the golfers without being noticed, the source explained.
On the rare occasions when Secret Service agents do spot a photographer near the course, they seldom ask many questions, the source said.
The security team is also easy to spot as they approach on golf carts, allowing photographers to monitor their movements and stay out of sight until Trump arrives.
“If they do approach the photographers, sometimes they quickly check their credentials but that’s about it,” the source claims.
“No Trespassing” signs are posted around the outside of the course, but photographers easily take pictures from behind these signs, which pose no real obstacle to anyone with malicious intent.
Trump was on the fifth hole when Secret Service snipers noticed Routh’s gun barrel protruding through a chain-link fence between the sixth and seventh holes, prompting them to open fire on the suspect.
However, the spot Routh chose wasn’t ideal for photographers, as the angles were tricky and the distances long.
“Routh could easily have picked a better spot, but maybe he was worried about being seen by a photographer,” the source speculated.
The source added that taking photos at Trump’s other Florida golf venue, Trump National Doral, located about 77 miles from West Palm Beach, is even easier.
Doral’s four courses, including the famous “Blue Monster,” are far more open, making it simple for photographers to capture images.
On the other hand, Trump’s golf course in Bedminster, NJ, is much more secure. State police often close surrounding roads when Trump is on the course, and even seasoned photographers admit that getting pictures there is next to impossible.
Regarding the security breach in West Palm Beach on Sunday, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw noted that Trump’s protective detail was reduced because he is currently a presidential candidate rather than the sitting president.
“At this level that he is at right now, he’s not the sitting president,” Bradshaw told reporters during a Sunday evening press conference. “If he was, we would have had this entire golf course surrounded.”
Routh, 58, fled the scene after Secret Service agents fired at him but was apprehended on I-95 in Palm City, approximately 40 miles north of the golf course, thanks to a witness who saw the suspect get into a black Nissan to escape and shared a photo with law enforcement.
Routh appeared in shackles and smiled during his Monday morning appearance in a Florida federal court, where he faced felony firearm charges.
{Matzav.com}
