New DHS watchdog report details how close Kamala Harris came to ‘viable’ pipe bomb on Jan. 6 (Page 2 ) | August 3, 2024

Annonce:

The report describes how two Secret Service canine teams assigned to sweep the building were “surprised” to learn the morning of Jan. 6 that more assets weren’t being provided to help with the sweep — but the report also notes that Secret Service policies and procedures at the time required fewer assets for protectees who had been elected to an office but not yet sworn in.

“[Harris], traveling in an armored vehicle with her motorcade, entered the DNC building via a ramp within 20 feet of the pipe bomb,” the report said.

According to the report, the pipe bomb was found an hour and 40 minutes after Harris arrived at the DNC building. The report suggests it took the Secret Service 10 minutes to evacuate her, saying that she spent a total of about one hour and 50 minutes inside the building.

The Secret Service has since updated its policies to include more assets for “‘elect’ protectees,” according to the report, which is heavily redacted.

Federal authorities are still trying to determine who planted that pipe bomb and a similar device at the Republican National Committee’s headquarters nearby. The FBI is offering a $500,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

Security camera video released by the FBI showed the suspect walking on a street in the area.

“Although these bombs did not detonate, it is important to remember the suspect walked along residential and commercial areas in Capitol Hill just blocks from the U.S. Capitol with viable pipe bombs that could have seriously injured or killed innocent bystanders,” the FBI said in a statement seeking the public’s help earlier this year. “Moreover, the suspect may still pose a danger to the public or themselves.”

The report’s long-awaited release comes as the Secret Service is still reeling from its failure to prevent a 20-year-old Pennsylvania man from nearly assassinating Trump less than three weeks ago.

Testifying to Congress earlier this week, the acting director of the Secret Service, Ronald Rowe, called that “a failure on multiple levels,” saying communication issues and other challenges helped prevent authorities from realizing how much of a threat the man posed, and then hampered their response.