In the first White House press briefing since the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, Karine Jean-Pierre brought Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas — who was previously impeached for dereliction of duty amid the Biden-created border crisis — to face questions from the press.
Despite admitting earlier on Monday in an interview with CNN that the horrific events on Saturday at the Trump rally in Pennsylvania demonstrated a "failure" by the United States Secret Service, Mayorkas said that he has "100 percent confidence" in both the director of the Secret Service and the agency's personnel. "What you saw on stage on Saturday, with respect to individuals putting their own lives at risk for the protection of another, is exactly what the American public should see every single day — it is indeed what I do," the DHS secretary declared.
MAYORKAS: "I have 100% confidence in the director of the United States Secret Service. I have 100% confidence in the United States Secret Service." pic.twitter.com/wZl0TUH5nB
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 15, 2024
Despite saying he has full confidence in the Secret Service, Mayorkas reiterated President Biden's pledge that an "independent review" would be conducted into the attempt on Trump's life that killed one rally attendee and critically wounded two others. This review, Mayorkas said, "will examine the Secret Service's and other law enforcement actions before, during, and after the shooting to identify the immediate and longer-term corrective actions required to ensure that the no-fail mission of protecting national leaders is most effectively met."
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Mayorkas: "At President Biden's direction an independent review of the incident will be conducted." pic.twitter.com/crpYDNZf1q
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 15, 2024
It's unclear how Mayorkas can have "100 percent confidence" before the review is completed to determine whether such trust is warranted after Trump was literally shot in the head at an event where the Secret Service was responsible for his protection.
The DHS secretary said Trump would receive "enhanced" protection from the Secret Service "based on the evolving nature of threats to the former president and his imminent shift from 'presumptive nominee' to 'nominee.' This includes enhancements related to securing the former president during the Republican National Convention this week," Mayorkas said.
Mayorkas announces "enhanced" protection for Donald Trump following assassination attempt. pic.twitter.com/l2sN78AbNd
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 15, 2024
According to Mayorkas, with President Biden's approval, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been granted Secret Service protection "in light of this weekend's events" after the independent candidate's previous requests were denied by the Biden administration.
As for justified criticism of Biden and his rhetoric about Trump and his supporters, Karine Jean-Pierre said later in the briefing that Americans shouldn't expect the president to make "any changes" to his warnings that Trump is a threat to the country.
REPORTER: Just last week Biden called Trump a "threat to this nation." Can we expect Biden to stop using that kind of rhetoric going forward?
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 15, 2024
KJP: Don’t expect any changes. pic.twitter.com/W3PEVmwHXO
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