Fox News reporters were criticized after they were caught on a hot mic joking about the unusually lax security at the White House Correspondents Association dinner before a shooting disrupted the event.
Their commentary followed a security scare at the Washington Hilton, where President Donald Trump and senior officials were quickly moved to safety after shots rang out outside the ballroom. Investigators believe the suspect fired one or two rounds. The Secret Service returned fire but missed, and the suspect was later apprehended near a staircase leading into the ballroom.
In a video that has since gone viral, comedian and network personality Jimmy Failla joked with a colleague on a Fox News Saturday Night livestream that was covering the red carpet event around an hour before the shooting:
“They have like two random chicks holding the front door open. 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 f**k with this guy.”
You can hear what he said in the video below.
Failla's remarks were bad enough—and they exposed the Secret Service to further criticism as well.
Despite the security breach, Trump has said he was "satisfied" with the Secret Service's response to the incident. He also said he was "honored" to have survived multiple assassination attempts because "they don't go after the ones that don't do much because they like it that way."
The Secret Service is among many agencies that have not been funded for 74 days amid the record-breaking Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown. Republicans have called on House Speaker Mike Johnson to bring a bill to the floor that has otherwise languished due to Democrats' concerns about funding for ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries blamed House Republicans for the funding lapse and delays, saying the bill—which passed the Senate—should be brought to the floor. He noted the bill "would fund the Department of Homeland Security in its entirety, with the exception of ICE and the violent Republican mass deportation machine."
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