Dan Bongino, a conservative radio host and former Secret Service agent, credited former President Donald Trump with saving his own life during the assassination attempt Saturday.
Bongino excoriated the Secret Service for an “absolutely catastrophic” failure during Trump’s rally in Butler, Penn. and surmised that the former president’s decision to duck was live-saving.
“The bunting around the front of the stage is probably armor. Donald Trump knew to duck. I mean, most people would. He saved his own life,” Bongino told Fox News’ “Fox & Friends Sunday.”
Trump, 78, was seen turning his head slightly just before the shots rang out. He then grabbed his ear and ducked down before Secret Service agents jumped on top of him to form a human shield.
The former president later claimed that a bullet “pierced the upper part of my right ear” and he felt it “ripping through the skin.”
Authorities have since identified 20-year-old Pennsylvanian Thomas Matthew Crooks as the suspected gunman and the FBI is currently investigating the shooting as an assassination attempt. At least one person was killed and two others were severely wounded.
Bongino, who served in the Secret Service from 1999 to 2011 raked the protective agency over the coals for the security failures that took place.
“If that’s the best technology we have, and we had a CS [Counter Sniper] team up there — we’re trained out to 1,000 yards in the Secret Service with the counter sniper team — how did they miss someone, at most 1/5 of the way there? It doesn’t make any sense,” he pondered.
“Even worse, it’s broad daylight on a white roof.”
One witness told the BBC that he saw a gunman crawling up on the roof, which is estimated to have been roughly 130 yards from the stage where Trump spoke, and tried to alert authorities.
Sources claimed that the suspect was on a roof outside the security perimeter when he opened fire from a shed roof. Ultimately, law enforcement “neutralized” the suspect, according to the Secret Service.
Bongino also ripped the Secret Service for other failures.
“The evacuation did not go right,” he said. “The rule with the Secret Service is cover the protectee and evacuate.”
Still, he commended the agents onstage who went to barricade Trump shortly after the gunfire began.
Bongino also disputed the Secret Service’s denial that Trump’s team requested a more robust security presence in the past.
Several individuals with close ties to Trump such as Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) — publicly claimed to have heard from “very reliable sources” that there had been requests for more robust security for Trump.
He alleged that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas denied those requests.
Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi dismissed those allegations, without naming Waltz directly.
“Theres an untrue assertion that a member of the former President’s team requested additional security resources & that those were rebuffed. This is absolutely false,” he posted on X.
“In fact, we added protective resources & technology & capabilities as part of the increased campaign travel tempo,” he added.
Bongino was deeply skeptical of that assertaion and claimed to have reliable sources who contradicted it.
“I can tell you, and absolutely confirm from the horse’s mouth, from multiple people, not just one…there have been repeated requests [to] increase the security footprint
Bongino also echoed many of the grumblings from conservatives about the Secret Service’s focus, suggesting it had gotten distracted with irrelevant concerns.
“They were more concerned about the color of the Secret Service agents ties around Donald Trump, given the perception,” he said, noting fear that a red tie could suggest an agent had conservative sympathies.
He also conveyed conservative gripes about the agency’s diversity, equity and inclusion program, which has drawn scrutiny from congressional Republicans.
“You have one job, and only one job. Your job is [to] keep the body alive. No matter what,” he said. “And the fact that Donald Trump didn’t die yesterday is no reason for anybody to take some kind of victory lap.”
Already, congressional investigators have teased plans to call Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle for testimony as soon as July 22 to discuss the security failures.
Some lawmakers have announce plans to craft legislation that would bolster resources for the Secret Service to stave off any copy-cat attempts.