Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., on Newsmax Monday delivered a forceful rebuke of federal security officials following Saturday night's alleged assassination attempt on President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner.
He called the breach both preventable and deeply alarming.
Appearing on "Wake Up America," Perry said the incident highlights serious operational failures while also reflecting what he described as a dangerous rise in politically driven hostility.
"Let's face it — this is a failure of the Secret Service," he said. "I'm talking to senior former Secret Service officials: This is an abject failure."
Perry emphasized that the suspect's ability to get as far as he did should raise urgent questions about existing security protocols and decision-making surrounding the president's safety.
"Look, this is a guy who is allegedly a teacher, teaching our children about the future, who made it through, essentially, the security," he said. "I hate to think what might have happened if this were better planned."
Perry warned that the outcome could have been far more severe if the attacker had used different means or more sophisticated planning.
"Somebody that got into where, as far as he got, with a different type of device for hurting people, could have been very, very effective," Perry said, underscoring the potential for mass harm.
He also broadened the concern beyond a single individual, warning that adversarial governments could exploit similar vulnerabilities if they chose to do so.
"Can you imagine if an organization like the government of Iran put together a program, so to speak, or a plan, how effective they could be?" Perry said, highlighting the national security implications.
While reiterating his support for rank-and-file law enforcement personnel, he questioned whether leadership failures or political pressure contributed to the lapse in protecting the sitting president.
"I don't know if there's a lack of willingness to push back on the political operation that demands that the president be at a location where there are unvetted individuals allowed to roam freely around the place," Perry said. "That's unacceptable."
The Secret Service must prioritize security above all else, even if that means overriding event planners or political considerations, added Perry.
"The Secret Service must put its foot down and say, No, you cannot do the event there … it's not a secure location, and you cannot go," he said, arguing stronger authority must be exercised.
Beyond the immediate security breakdown, Perry placed significant blame on what he called increasingly inflammatory rhetoric from Democrat leaders and their allies.
"This is all born out of rhetoric from the left — the Democrat Party in particular — that calls President Trump a threat to democracy," he said. "They call him and the people around him things like Nazis."
"People react to those kinds of things," Perry added. "There's a consequence to that kind of rhetoric."
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Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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