(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Bloomberg writer Jason Leopold has released more than 100 page of Secret Service records he obtained via the Freedom of Information Act, revealing prior security failures at Donald Trump’s private Palm Beach resort, Mar-a-Lago.
Leopold said Wednesday that he obtained the heavily redacted records last week, days before stunning Secret Service failures nearly led to the assassination of Trump at a campaign rally Saturday in Butler, Pennsylvania. Leopold’s records show prior security failures leading up to Saturday’s catastrophe, which saw a firefighter die and two others put in critical condition.
NEW FOIA Files SPECIAL EDITION: 2 yrs ago, I filed a #FOIA request w/Secret Service for records of threats to Trump & security breaches at MAL between 2017& 2024. Last Wed, Secret Service finally turned over the documents. They're wild.
🧵https://t.co/JmJLDzGu0F pic.twitter.com/zTfSA0z20b
— Jason Leopold (@JasonLeopold) July 17, 2024
In 2018, for instance, an 18-year-old college student arrived at Mar-a-Lago while Trump was visiting.
According to Leopold, he was screened at a checkpoint by Secret Service and allowed through. During his brief visit, he entered a secure area and uploaded videos of his escapades to Snapchat—including one titled, “Sneaking into Trump club is like taking candy from a baby.”
“Secret Service agents, eventually realizing the student wasn’t supposed to be there, questioned him about his presence. He told them ‘he wanted to explore and was curious,’ and acknowledged that he knew Trump was going to be there,” Leopold wrote of the incident, quoting from the documents he obtained.
“The Secret Service determined the student wasn’t a threat and was ‘sent on his way.’ Ultimately, he was charged with entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds, a misdemeanor.”
The U.S. Southern District of Florida charged the defendant with misdemeanor trespassing and he pled not guilty in 2019. The defendant isn’t named, and the outcome of the case isn’t stated.
Bloomberg released new Secret Service records today showing past security failures at Mar-a-Lago
For instance, in 2018 an 18-year old snuck into the club and posted a SnapChat titled, "Sneaking into Trump club is like taking candy from a baby."
The outcome of this case is unclear pic.twitter.com/t02AJhjD84— Ken Silva (@JD_Cashless) July 17, 2024
Another security failure at Mar-a-Lago happened in March 2019, when an apparent Chinese national almost gained access to Trump. This time, the security failure was made by Mar-a-Lago staff.
Accoridng to Secret Service records, Mar-a-Lago staff thought the woman was a relative of one of the club’s members, and that she was attending a conference. Once they realized their error, they notified Secret Service, which detained the woman.
The documents state that the woman presented Secret Service agents with two Republic of China passports as identification, which showed one as expired and one as valid with a valid visa.
The woman told agents “she was there to attend the United Nation’s Friendship event between China and the United States. There was also an initial perception of a language barrier based upon her confusion,” the records state.
“However, it was later during the interview that it became clear of her ability to speak and read English. The Mar-a-Lago receptionist, realizing no such event was scheduled to take place, advised nearby USSS special agents that it appeared’ may have been mistakenly authorized by Mar-a-Lago security to access the property.”
The records also reveal other security incidents involving seemingly mentally ill people trying to access Trump. But those people were stopped by Mar-a-Lago staff or law enforcement before they could breach the club at all.
The documents suggest that Trump was never in danger during the above-mentioned incidents.
Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at twitter.com/jd_cashless.
