Secret Service failure at Trump rally raises concerns about Netanyahu visit, McCaul says
EXCLUSIVE: House Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) is expressing concern about the safety of visiting U.S. and world leaders following the assassination attempt on former President Trump.
“Yeah, absolutely,” McCaul told Fox News Digital when asked if the security failings at Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, raised concerns about the level of security surrounding President Biden as well. [leader]… Prime Minister Netanyahu is coming tomorrow. That’s a good example.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to address a joint session of Parliament on Wednesday as the war in Gaza with the pro-Palestinian terrorist group Hamas continues.
Security preparations are already underway at the Capitol, with fencing being set up around the perimeter of the building since early Tuesday morning.
But a shooting at a Trump rally earlier this month left one attendee dead and two seriously injured, sparking concern and debate about the safety of elected officials, including Trump himself, who was shot in the ear and had to be evacuated by the Secret Service.
Regarding the possibility of tensions escalating due to Netanyahu’s upcoming speech, McCaul said: “So the ingredients are there. The situation is ripe for violence.”
He cited threats from protests by pro-Palestinian demonstrators, some of whom have consistently patrolled the area around the Capitol in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, pitting them against pro-Israel lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. More than 300 demonstrators were arrested after occupying the Cannon House Office Building during protests in late October last year.
The same parliament building hosted a large protest on Tuesday, just days before Netanyahu’s speech. Protesters took over the Cannon Building Rotunda, chanting slogans and waving banners, while police arrested dozens of people, some with zip ties. One banner read, “The Jews say: Stop the genocide.”
This is an excerpt from an article by Liz Elkind of Fox News.
