A Fox News reporter was caught talking on a hot mic making an eerie comment about the level of security at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, where a gunman would later charge in and open fire.
The incident took place on Saturday when a man, later identified as Cole Tomas Allen, reportedly broke through security while armed in an attempt to get to where President Donald Trump was speaking.
A man has since been charged with attempting to assassinate the president, and was also charged with weapon offences, and he is reported to be 31-years old and comes from California.
In the lead up to the event, Fox host Jimmy Failla, was captured on camera criticising the level of security put in place at the Washington Hilton hotel, where the press had gathered for the gala.
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“They have like two random chicks holding the front door open,” Failla says, in the video which has gone viral on social media.
He added, disapprovingly: “They’re not even trying anymore. I just mean like they’re not even like Secret Service people, it’s like the girls who work here are holding the door."
"Even if it was the guys, it wouldn’t even make it better. They might as well put a door stop in. They put up a doorstop and a scarecrow: don’t **** with this guy.”
According to Yahoo News, the clip originates from a Fox News Saturday Night livestream which was covering the red carpet event around an hour before the shooting.
As gunshots rang out, Secret Service agents bundled President Trump offstage, with some people speculating that the president fell as he went.
Vice President JD Vance and others were also escorted out, as journalists and audience members took cover under the dining tables.
Many reporters filmed the aftermath, livestreaming the events of the night and reporting what they had just seen.
Fox News’ senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy later asked Trump: "Why do you think this keeps happening to you?"
The president replied: "Well, you know, I’ve studied assassinations and I must tell you the most impactful people, the people that do the most, you take a look at the people — Abraham Lincoln — I mean, you go through the people that have gone through this where they got ’em. But the people that do the most, the people that make the biggest impact are the ones that they go after.”
He even said he was 'honoured' by the repeated attempts on his life: “They don’t go after the ones that don’t do much because they like it that way."
“When you look at the people — whether it was an attempt or a successful attempt — they were very impactful people. Just take a look at the names here. The big names, and I hate to say I’m honoured by that, but I’ve done a lot.”
According to the BBC, despite Failla's criticism, Trump went on to say that he was 'satisfied' by the response of the Secret Service to the incident.
Topics: Politics, Donald Trump, US News
Jen Thomas