Quote:The Secret Service missed a Glock in a gym bag at President Trump’s Virginia golf club. Its owner made it through screening, had lunch, and went swimming before realizing he still had the pistol with him. He reported it himself.

Trump was on the property that afternoon, August 31, 2025. More than a year later, Judicial Watch has obtained the agency’s account of the breach through a federal lawsuit. The group released 14 heavily redacted pages on October 8. The member arrived around noon for lunch and a swim. According to an assistant special agent in charge’s email, he went through a metal detector, and someone visually searched his bag. He then ate on the patio and went to the pool.

His afternoon continued until he found the pistol while changing clothes and notified security at about 3:53 PM An agent’s email explains why he came forward:

"Upon changing his clothes after using the pool, [redacted] realized that he had inadvertently left his Glock 43 pistol in his gym bag and that the bag was searched without the pistol being found. It was at this time that the member approached a [redacted]-stander at the employee entrance and advised of the situation because he “cares about POTUS”."

Investigators could check his account against the cameras. They watched him enter, searched his bag, and then carried it around the club, including the pro shop, locker room, and pool. They interviewed him and saw the pistol themselves.

No elaborate attempt to beat security. A bag with a handgun inside passed a visual inspection.

RedState first reported the story in September 2025, based on firsthand accounts of the incident and an official response from the agency, more than a year before the Secret Service was forced to hand over its own records.

The Secret Service said its surveillance footage showed the member had stayed away from the president throughout his visit. It removed the employee responsible for the search from operational duties, then placed that employee on administrative leave while it reviewed the incident.

By August 2025, Trump had already survived the shooting in Butler and an assassination attempt at his Florida golf course. Yet someone searched this member’s bag and sent him on his way with the Glock still inside.

Getting the paperwork required a federal lawsuit. Judicial Watch submitted its FOIA request on November 18, 2025. The Secret Service acknowledged it in January and invoked a time extension, then went silent. By April 28, Judicial Watch had heard nothing and filed suit. The agency hadn't made a determination, hadn't explained itself, and hadn't produced a single record.

Tom Fitton, Judicial Watch’s president, had little patience for either the missed weapon or the effort required to obtain the records:

"The Secret Service is a dangerous mess. Given the previous attempts on the president’s life, it is highly disturbing that this type of security lapse could occur—and that it takes a federal lawsuit to get a fuller picture into how a person was able to get a gun through a Secret Service checkpoint."

Putting one employee on leave is not an answer. It names who missed the pistol. It says nothing about how a visual bag search failed to catch a handgun, or what the agency actually changed before Trump returned to that course. A president who has already survived two assassination attempts deserved both.

Link

Secret Service Shocker: Threats Up 40 Percent, 10,000 Cases This Year

The SS needs major attention...and funds.

I imagine this doesn't help.

Quote:The White House has reportedly diverted more than $400 million in Secret Service funding to cover the costs of White House renovation projects – including President trump’s new ballroom – despite the President’s claim that these projects would not be constructed with taxpayer money.

These funding diversions are especially concerning given that a recent report from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General found that existing Secret Service staffing and resource constraints “risk mission effectiveness.”

“At least $396 million in funding appears to have been redirected in June 2026 from a $1.17 billion appropriation for the Secret Service in the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” said Ranking Member Hassan in her request. “Importantly, this appropriation specified that the funds ‘may only be used for’ additional agency resources, including personnel, training facilities, programming, and technology, as well as bonuses for Secret Service agents.”

In her request, Ranking Member Hassan further highlighted that, “In the months prior to this unexpected diversion of funds, the Secret Service had already raised concerns about its lack of resources – even with the additional $1.17 billion supplemental appropriation from Congress. [...] In fact, agents have opened 10,000 protective cases since January 2026, approximately 40 percent more than at this same time last year. The DHS Office of Inspector General echoed these concerns in its June 2026 report, which found that the Secret Service was struggling with ‘burnout and attrition.’ The report further highlighted ‘deficiencies with component operations that could jeopardize the safety of [its] protectees’ and noted that ‘factors such as lack of personnel, deficient systems, and outdated technology all affect its ability to achieve its mission.’”

Senator Hassan Questions U.S. Secret Service on $400+ Million Diverted to trump’s Ballroom & White House Construction

Secret Service needs to go back under the Treasury dept.

(10-14-2026 12:14 PM)UofMTigerTim Wrote:  Secret Service needs to go back under the Treasury dept.

Yup. Much of Homeland Security needs split up.

(10-14-2026 01:55 PM)Redwingtom Wrote:  

(10-14-2026 12:14 PM)UofMTigerTim Wrote:  Secret Service needs to go back under the Treasury dept.

Yup. Much of Homeland Security needs split up.

Agree. I would be fine with getting rid of Homeland Security, the ATF, IRS security force, etc... Let the states handle most of the security and have them work with the Federal Govt.