Richard Staropoli: What’s Wrong With the Secret Service?

Reason Podcasts

How well-protected is Donald Trump? On July 13, Trump became the first U.S. president to be shot in more than 40 years, and the first to be shot during a campaign since 1912. Then, incredibly, the Secret Service stopped a second would-be assassin who was stationed with a rifle on the perimeter of Trump's golf course as the former president was one hole away: two unnervingly close calls in about two months. What's going on? Some Republican lawmakers say Trump is under-protected and accuse the Biden administration of politicizing the Secret Service to intentionally put the president in danger. Media reports say that Trump has made the Secret Service's job too difficult by insisting on golfing on short notice at unsecured locations. The Secret Service says it's understaffed. Today's guest will give us an insider's view of how the Secret Service works and what might have gone wrong. Richard Staropoli served as a special agent in the Secret Service for 25 years, served briefly as the chief information officer for the Department of Homeland Security under the Trump administration, and is now the senior managing director for Rivada, a telecommunications and satellite internet company. https://reason.com/podcast/2024/09/26/richard-staropoli-whats-wrong-with-the-secret-service/ Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 01:51 A veteran of the Secret Service reacts to the first assassination attempt 06:38 The lack of direct answers 12:35 How politicized is the DHS? 20:33 Why are these lapses happening right now? 25:57 The unique challenges of protecting Trump 29:51 Who decides how to allocate Secret Service resources? 39:17 The Secret Service is a bloated government agency 43:48 Incompetence, malice, or both? 54:07 The second attempt on Trump's life 01:03:07 DeSantis's state-level investigation 01:07:41 Alleged shooter Ryan Routh's background and connections 01:12:08 What are the needed reforms? 01:14:48 Final Question