WASHINGTON (UNITED STATES) (ITALPRESS) – “It is necessary to join the shared values that make our country great.” With these words the White House spokesman Karoline Leavitt opened today’s briefing with the press, returning to the events of Saturday at the Hilton Hotel in Washington, where a shooting generated moments of strong tension and alarm among the present during the dinner of the White House correspondents in which President Donald Trump was present along with most members of his administration.
In his speech, Leavitt pointed his finger at the political and media climate, denouncing “aweful lies and spreshing attacks against the President”, who in his opinion contribute to a dangerous environment. According to the spokesman, this type of rhetoric can affect vulnerable subjects, “pushing unstable people to believe in false things and, in the most extreme cases, to perform violent acts.” From here the net appeal: “This must end.”.
The spokesperson then directly linked what happened to the issue of funding of the Department of Homeland Security, defining the episode “the new reminder” of the need to ensure adequate resources for the national security system. Leavitt spoke openly about a “vergognose” situation, underlining that the Department remained without funds for 73 days, “the longest time in U.S. history for a federal agency.” A block that, it has highlighted, has had direct repercussions on the United States Secret Service, key component of the institution protection system.
Retracing what happened on Saturday evening, Leavitt praised the work of federal agents, describing an immediate response in a situation characterized by “great danger and total uncertainty”. “The agents put their lives at risk to protect the President, the First Lady, the Vice President and the members of the government,” he said, focusing on a specific episode documented by the images circulated in the following hours.
“An agent literally jumped on stage without knowing where the bomber was or where the blood came from, putting his body in front of the President of the United States,” he said.
In underlining the daily work of security forces, the spokesman recalled that “they are men and women who do their duty every day, who have families and children, and who continue to operate despite the turbulent political climate surrounding their agency”. Hence the definition of “national currency” referring to the lack of funding of the Department for Internal Security.
Leavitt then criticized the opposition, claiming that “Democratic obstructionism is imposing a huge and completely useless weight on the Secret Service and could cost other lives.” He also added that, if a similar situation had occurred under republican responsibility with a democratic president, the media reaction would have been “unnecessary and inflexible”. “When too much is too much. There should no longer be any debate on this issue,” he insisted, defining the situation “a national emergency”.
In his speech, the spokesman also recalled future security challenges, citing a series of major international and national events scheduled in the United States in the coming years, including the World Cup, the celebrations of “America 250” and the Olympic Games of 2028, as well as the next presidential elections. Events that, according to Leavitt, will make it even more crucial to have a fully operational and adequately funded security system.
Reaffirming the position of the administration, Leavitt recalled President Donald Trump’s appeal, which for weeks urges Congress to unlock funds for the Department. “Democrats have to do what the President has been asking for 73 consecutive days: to finance the Internal Security Department,” he said, “every member of Congress has to put the country in front of party interests.”.
During the briefing, answering the questions of journalists, Leavitt also provided some clarification on operational and safety aspects. With regard to the process of removal of potential threats mentioned in recent days by the President, the spokesman explained that he did not have updated data, referring for details to the Pentagon, but confirming that it is “a process still in progress”.
With regard to the revision of the security protocols after the Saturday episode, Leavitt pointed out that at the moment no specific changes have yet been identified, but announced that a meeting is scheduled for the White House during the week to assess any interventions. He also pointed out that the Secret Service, for obvious reasons of security, does not publicize the details of its operating procedures, since this information could be exploited by individuals who are willing to bypass protection systems.
Finally, the spokesman also addressed the issue of preventive measures at major institutional events, explaining that hypotheses such as the designation of a “designated survivor” are already the subject of internal discussion. However, he clarified that in the specific case of Saturday several members of the government in the line of succession were not present for personal reasons, circumstance that made it unnecessary to identify a single designated substitute.
-Photo: xp6/Italpress
(ITALPRESS)
