‘Creating Hate’: Scolded by Secret Service Agent for Asking Questions About Hit on Trump

COMMENTARY by Susan Katz Keating

An agent messaged me privately, accusing journalists of “creating hate” with “mass negative media.”

Serious, troubling questions surround the July 13 assassination attempt on Donald Trump. So far, I don’t have answers from officials; but I have been privately scolded by a Secret Service agent for asking the questions.

I won’t divulge the agent’s name, nor post a screenshot of the messages, since this was a private communication and would put this person’s job at risk. But the scolding speaks to a culture of circling the wagons so tightly that it shows an extreme defensive posture. This is the type of posture that leads to the inability to self-assess; and, as we have seen, to lapses in security that bring watchdog investigations.

Regarding the hit on Trump, I raised my questions a couple places on social media.

The questions are valid.

Did law enforcement at first mistake the would-be assassin for other security, thereby causing a delay in taking out the shooter? Was the Secret Service asleep at the wheel? Who dropped the ball, and why? An innocent bystander was killed, another was hurt, and a presidential candidate was hit by gunfire.

I properly asked for an explanation.

The U.S. Secret Service has not yet responded. No surprise there. They can’t expect softball questions from Soldier of Fortune.

I did get a reaction, though. An agent messaged me privately, accusing journalists of “creating hate” with “mass negative media.” The agent asked me to “have some respect for USSS,” and told me what to do. “Wait for their statement.”

This incident requires more than a statement. It mandates an investigation.

The agency previously has come under scrutiny for security lapses over the years. It also has been tagged for having a troubling internal culture.

Former Agent Jonathan Wackrow, who served on the protective details for President and Mrs. Obama, has been cited as critiquing the agency for having a culture “lacking transparency and accountability.”

In 2014, an independent panel found that there was a “catastrophic failure of training” within the Secret Service. In 2021, the agency mandated that agents who protect the President and Vice President train for at least 12% of their work hours by FY 2025. These findings were listed in a 2022 report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

The American people need to know whether these issues have been resolved.

Nevertheless, the agent who messaged me didn’t like that I raised questions.

My response:

“I have always respected the SS, and continue to do so — and this includes approaching them like the professionals they are.

“I am a journalist, and my job is to ask questions, including the tough ones.

“This is what keeps our country on a much needed even keel.”

I plan to keep asking questions. I invite other journalists to join me.

Susan Katz Keating is the publisher and editor in chief at Soldier of Fortune.