Secret Service ‘model worked’ during WHCA Dinner shooting but ‘luck’ played a role, experts say

When an armed gunman rushed past a security checkpoint at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner last weekend, questions immediately began to swirl throughout the country regarding how yet another alleged would-be-assailant was able to get within a stone’s throw of the president of the United States. 

Cole Allen, 31, is facing federal charges of attempting to assassinate the president of the United States, transporting a firearm across state lines and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence after he allegedly ran through a Secret Service checkpoint and opened fire just one floor from where President Donald Trump and several high-level Cabinet officials were attending the gala. 

Authorities have pointed to an alleged manifesto penned by Allen indicating that he intended to target Trump and members of his administration over political grievances. 

As news of the alleged attempted assassination broke, questions quickly began to swirl regarding the United States Secret Service’s security measures amid a time of heightened violence against political leaders.

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“I think the Secret Service’s model worked,” Bill Gage, a former Secret Service special agent and executive protection director for the SafeHaven Security Group, told Fox News Digital. 

“But there was definitely a lot of luck involved that Cole Allen wasn’t better trained, wasn’t better prepared,” Gage added. 

Within minutes of Trump, Vice President JD Vance and First Lady Melania Trump taking their seats to enjoy the annual festivities, authorities say Allen charged the Washington Hilton hotel checkpoint and fired his weapon, striking a Secret Service agent in their ballistic vest.

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He was subsequently tackled to the ground and taken into custody. 

Miraculously, no one was seriously injured in the chaos, and Trump was rushed off stage as thousands of attendees ducked for cover under their ballroom tables. 

While federal officials — including Trump himself — applauded the Secret Service for agents’ quick-thinking, questions mounted about how an armed individual was able to get so close to the room holding a high volume of Cabinet members and celebrities.

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“Obviously, the first family was not harmed,” Bill Stanton, a retired NYPD officer and security expert, told Fox News Digital. “No one was harmed, right? But that was not due to total professionalism. That was due to luck, the ineptness of the assailant and the redundancy – he should never have gotten that close.” 

However, Gage suggests the agency’s protocol worked as intended.

“The [Secret Service’s] concept is like rings of security where you have an outer perimeter, an inner perimeter and a middle perimeter,” Gage said. “Each one of those is sort of like a concentric circle that overlaps. So if one ring fails, the other one can sort of pick up the slack.”

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According to Gage, Saturday’s outer perimeter began with the agency’s magnetometers – where Allen rushed past authorities armed with a shotgun and other weapons. 

“So the attacker, just through sheer surprise and speed, races through the magnetometers,” Gage told Fox News Digital. “He gets through that perimeter, he’s still not sort of scot-free. He’s going to interact with other agents as he’s trying to make his way into the ballroom.” 

“There would have been agents assigned to the entry door,” Gage continued. “There would’ve been agents inside the event, just inside the door. So, I would say the Secret Service model was a success, because it proved that the sort of overlap worked.”

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As details surrounding the alleged assassination attempt began to trickle out, new questions were raised regarding how Allen was allegedly able to check into the hotel the night before and remain undetected, despite having multiple firearms. 

“The urban legend out there is that the Secret Service sort of swoops in days before an event, shuts the hotel down, kicks everybody out and name checks every single person there – and that’s just not the reality,” Gage said. 

According to Gage, agents must strike a balance between maintaining a strong security posture and allowing public venues – like the Washington Hilton – to continue operating a business.

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“There’s deliveries, there’s other workers that come and go – the kitchen staff, other employees, the maid staff,” Gage said. “There’s other people at the hotel that have nothing to do with the event. So the advance agent for the hotel or for the event is getting all these pressures.” 

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Additionally, the common misconception that the Secret Service is permitted to close off public areas is simply not true, Gage said.

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“Is it theoretically possible that the Secret Service comes in and shuts down a thousand-person hotel or a thousand-room hotel the day before? Yeah, theoretically it’s possible,” Gage told Fox News Digital. “But logistically, it’s not possible. Financially, it’s not possible.” 

In light of a third assassination attempt against Trump, Gage emphasizes the duty of the president to be reachable by the people he represents, as some are calling for Trump to cease all public outings.

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“I think the office of the presidency, our elected leaders in our free democracy, have to get out there and meet with constituents,” Gage told Fox News Digital. “They have to shake hands, pose for photographs and give speeches. They have to be seen all over the country.”

Instead, Gage believes the Secret Service will simply increase their security posture.

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“You’re going to see much more intrusive actions by the Secret Service on these public venues,” Gage said. “I can see the Secret Service, after Saturday, really inconveniencing the hotel and really inconveniencing the guests, and being very intrusive into the day-to-day operations of the hotels to have a sort of bigger security footprint there.” 

Allen remains in custody as he faces three federal charges stemming from the alleged assassination attempt, with authorities indicating he will likely be slapped with additional counts.

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As the investigation into how an armed gunman was able to make it so close to Trump continues to unfold, Gage is applauding the Secret Service for ensuring there were no casualties Saturday night. 

“The Secret Service is made up of incredibly dedicated men and women who join the agency to protect the office of the presidency,” he said. “The agency is made up of incredibly talented humans that are dedicated and spend long hours on their feet, away from their families – and it’s even more incredibly stressful now.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the Secret Service.