JARRING details revealed about security leading up WHCD shooting

[0:00] Let's go right to D.C. where Doug Lazader joins us with the latest on the shooting. Doug. [0:05] Good morning. The accused gunman is expected to face two federal charges for now in what is just [0:10] the latest close call for the president. Here's what we know about the suspect identified as 31-year-old [0:17] Cole Allen of California. He ran past a Secret Service checkpoint allegedly in the hotel lobby [0:23] and was apprehended unharmed. Investigators say he was armed with a shotgun, a handgun, [0:29] and a number of knives, and that he was a guest at the Washington Hilton, which has played host to [0:35] this dinner for decades. Now, in federal court today, we expect at least two initial charges, [0:42] using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer with a dangerous [0:48] weapon. And, of course, a Secret Service agent was struck in his bulletproof vest, saved by that [0:53] vest, though. A Washington Post report, meantime, questioned security at the event. When so many [1:01] officials gather in one place for official functions, such as an inauguration or a State [1:06] of the Union address, the Secretary of Homeland Security typically puts the Secret Service in [1:11] charge of coordinating all security through a formal designation known as National Special [1:17] Security Event. There was no such delegation on Saturday night. Now, this follows a number of [1:25] security incidents for the president. In July of 2024, there was the assassination attempt in [1:30] Butler, Pennsylvania. Months later, another attempt at Trump International Golf Club in Florida, [1:35] and then, of course, Saturday's dinner here in Washington. Now, President Trump says this all [1:40] bolsters his case for a new White House ballroom and pressed for the dinner to be rescheduled in the [1:47] next 30 days. Back to you guys. All right, Douglas, they are live for us in Washington. Doug, thank you. [1:52] Let's bring in former Navy SEAL and FBI Special Agent Jonathan Gilliam. Jonathan, thank you so much [1:56] for joining us. A lot to get to here with you. And I want to start out with event security, because [2:01] The Wall Street Journal is quoting a guest who attended the White House Correspondents' Dinner, and he [2:06] pointed out what he perceived as the lack of security in entering the hotel. This quote says they could [2:12] enter the hotel by simply showing a dinner ticket or a copy of an invite to one of several pre-dinner [2:19] receptionists. The tickets were reviewed by staff, but weren't scanned, and there was no further [2:24] identification checks. What needs to change even now to keep this president safe? Well, according to what [2:33] you just told me, they need to add security. I mean, that's basically sounds like they had no [2:37] security at that. I don't know who's who is running the the secret service, who's running these [2:45] details. And I would say that basically every detail with the exception of diplomats and probably even [2:52] some of those individuals, those details were there last night, president, vice president, and most of [2:57] the cabinet. So why, first of all, would you not have a perimeter that is set up outside of the hotel? [3:05] Yes, I know it's a hotel, but it's Washington, D.C. They should realize, especially after Reagan was shot [3:10] there, that they have to have a strong perimeter. They should realize that after the president was [3:16] actually shot in Butler, Pennsylvania, and then almost shot again in Florida. And this wasn't 20 years [3:24] ago. This was just this past year. So I'm not clear on who is coming up with this protocol and why [3:34] they're still following it. Another thing I'll say that needs to happen is the security outside [3:40] and the security inside both need to be restructured and revamped. And we have to stop looking at [3:49] nobody got killed or the president didn't get killed. So it was a success. This was not a success. [3:56] And I don't I understand President Trump. I mean, he's been the recipient of one of these bullets and [4:02] he survived. So from his perspective, he would see this as a success. But for the director of DHS, [4:10] for Kash Patel, for others, for attorney general to go on other networks and this network and brag about [4:17] law enforcement, why can't we criticize the Secret Service? This is not reflect on the president. [4:23] I'm going to push back on that because I was in the vicinity and I want to explain what the security [4:30] situation looked like to me. And yes, you may have a valid question. I'm not going to question you [4:35] on whether or not the Secret Service should have been in charge of everything. But when you look at [4:41] what we saw at the vicinity, I would describe it as hard, soft, hard. The Fox News van had trouble [4:47] getting within a mile of the vicinity because the exterior perimeter was so tight. But where we find [4:56] issues is when we get right up to the venue itself and then 100 percent right to ask questions why I, [5:03] with a little piece of paper, show it to a random young little volunteer and she lets me in. [5:09] I agree that that is where the problems arise. I will say, Jonathan, when we made it closer to the [5:17] ballroom, that is where the big boys with the big guns were, making sure that we could not get closer. [5:24] And that is ultimately what stopped. So I want to be clear as to the various layers. But I think you [5:29] raise an overall good point. Why isn't maximum security the default? Why do we have to continue [5:37] to have these discussions, especially at an event when the president is there? I share your concern [5:43] and your questioning why maximum security isn't the default automatically. [5:50] Todd, I get that there was a perimeter for vehicles to stop vehicle-borne improvised explosives. [5:56] But we have to realize that, first of all, like I said, criticizing is not condemning. [6:04] Yes, what they did there in that perimeter to keep vehicles out, that's great. [6:09] But obviously it didn't keep an attacker out. The inside perimeter is just as important as the [6:15] outside perimeter because an attacker will figure out how to use those vulnerabilities. [6:19] We saw that in this individual's manifesto where he literally said he was shocked at how bad the [6:26] security was. So he showed you, he was able to walk in, unchecked, check into the hotel room, [6:32] and then come down there and walk past all those big guys that you're talking about. [6:36] Because ultimately, even an outside perimeter to stop a car bomb could still allow an individual [6:44] to come in and walk in with a bomb if they are not checking for those things. [6:49] That's true. That's true. [6:50] And when you do this security, Todd, you have to look at who, when, why, how, and where an attack [6:56] could happen, the avenue of approach, and the vulnerabilities that they could exploit. [7:01] It sounds like they did none of that except for vehicle bombs. [7:06] And if this would have been a multi-pronged attack, this probably could have been successful. [7:10] If one person had run in there with a bomb, exploded it, you could have had five other [7:14] people run in, one after another, and just lay waste to that room. [7:18] And that was the concern in the room, Jonathan, to be clear. [7:21] Like, we're wondering, is there something else following Carly? [7:23] Jonathan, when it comes to the suspect himself, his sister told investigators that he had been [7:27] increasingly radical and made increasingly radical statements and often spoke about doing, [7:32] quote, something to address issues in the world. [7:35] He had purchased two handguns and a shotgun, which he stored at his parents' house without his [7:39] parents' knowledge. [7:40] He would regularly train at a shooting range, and he was part of a group called the Wide Awakes [7:45] and attended a No Kings protest in California. [7:48] So there were signs there that he was spinning towards violence and extremism. [7:52] Was it the responsibility of a family member to intervene sooner? [7:58] I would think so. [7:59] And I've talked about this for a long time. [8:00] I think that there needs to be a system worked out where when somebody reports an individual [8:07] are like this, but they've not broken a crime, if their behavior is odd enough, that goes [8:12] in a database. [8:13] And that way, the totality of the circumstances, I use this term all the time, law enforcement [8:19] will have the totality of someone's behavior. [8:22] They had run-ins with law enforcement 20 times but never been arrested. [8:25] Those 20 times will be on that database. [8:28] How violent were they? [8:29] That's on that database. [8:31] It's not a complicated issue to discover. [8:33] We do these in schools all the time. [8:35] When somebody does a shooting, we say, oh, yeah, we knew that person was a problem. [8:40] We just need to make that information known to the right people so that they can eventually [8:45] at least interview someone. [8:47] But that doesn't happen. [8:48] And why? [8:49] Because, you know, I do threat assessments almost daily for the entertainment industry. [8:55] That's what my company does. [8:56] And we do crisis management. [8:58] And the one term that drives me crazy is that's not how we do it. [9:02] So things never change. [9:04] Yeah. [9:05] Another thing was that's not how we do it. [9:06] We just happened to hold this event at a hotel to your earlier point where anybody can come [9:11] with any kind of luggage and just stay in the hotel this weekend, provided they have the money to do so. [9:16] And to your overall point, Jonathan, that needs to change because this did not work out this time. [9:22] Also, the suspect is reportedly not complying with police. [9:25] And he's going to appear in court later today. [9:28] So we are going to see how all that goes. [9:29] Final word, Jonathan. [9:30] Yeah, really quickly here. [9:31] Final word is, something has to change. [9:35] The president should not have been on that stage for 30 seconds after the gunshots happened. [9:40] And the person who can change this is the president and the director of DHS. [9:45] Secret Service needs to go back to the Treasury Department and get out of DHS because it was broken once they put it in there. [9:53] Good point. [9:53] Jonathan Gilliam, former Navy SEAL and FBI Special Agent, we thank you so much. [9:57] Be sure to like and subscribe for all the Fox News latest on YouTube and catch full shows streaming now on Fox 1.