Secret Service documents show massive number of Mar-a-Lago security breaches
After the Saturday attack on Donald Trump, the U.S. Secret Service is releasing information about the ongoing threats against the ex-president.
Among the information uncovered by Bloomberg through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request is that there have been dozens of security breaches at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort.
In Jan. 2019, the USSS released a report documenting how it secured Mar-a-Lago using the Coast Guard and local police on waterways and at the entrances around the perimeter. Guests can be subjected to "physical screening" but it relies mostly on "magnetometers, wands and visual checks."
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"The Secret Service doesn’t have any say in who gets welcomed to the so-called Winter White House," Bloomberg said. "Although there are additional screening protocols for guests afforded close access to him, Trump is known to frequently socialize with guests who pay for an annual membership, sometimes making surprise appearances at weddings or parties.
The FOIA request details "dozens" of cases of people allowed to enter the facility with no authorization while Trump was in residence. There are a few cases where individuals were waived through without being checked at all by USSS.
In one case, a college student came to Mar-a-Lago, walking through a tunnel near the pool. He was screened and allowed to enter.
"Sneaking into Trump club is like taking candy from a baby," the 18-year-old posted on Snapchat in late 2018 after the incident.
Ultimately, USSS asked him some questions, and he confessed “he wanted to explore and was curious." He also said he knew Trump would be there. The report said they "sent [him] on his way." He was then charged with entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds, which is a misdemeanor, Bloomberg explained.
A similar incident happened six months later when a man who identified himself as the "commander in chief" said he wanted to "survey Mar-a-Lago because it was his birthright." He explained to the agents that "ruling families of the world" were scheduled to meet Trump for "an interdimensional peace conference."
The man expressed his displeasure with the job Trump was doing but that he was happy to leave the area and communicate with Trump via "Morse code" using "lighters." He refused to speak with local police and was involuntarily committed to a mental health facility. The report doesn't reveal anything that happened beyond that.