A judge's decision to release John Hinckley Jr. from a mental health facility 35 years after he tried to assassinate President Ronald Reagan was a mistake, former Secret Service agent Daniel Bongino told Newsmax TV.
Appearing Wednesday on "Newsmax Prime," Bongino told host J.D. Hayworth that such people can pose a lifetime threat.
"These pychologists and psychiatrists are giving you a medical opinion, but it's an opinion," Bongino said. "We can't assume that the clinical settings that Hinckley was in that were very controlled, where medicine was given at a very specific time ever day and the environment was controlled, are going to apply when he's released. I think this was a very bad decision."
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Judge Paul L. Friedman ordered the release on Wednesday, and the now 61-year-old is set to live with his mother no sooner than August 5. He will be required to carry a GPS enabled phone, attend monthly treatment in Washington, D.C., have weekly phone calls with health care professionals, find a job or volunteer work and not talk to the media.
"He's got a psychological disturbance," Bongino told Newsmax. "It was an attempted murder of the president of the United States. It was an attempted murder of a human being. Sadly, it may not be the last we hear of this man."
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