House unanimously passes bill enhancing Trumps Secret Service protection level after two attempted assassinations

The House unanimously passed a bill on Friday enhancing former President Donald Trump’s Secret Service protection level after two assassination attempts against the Republican nominee 64 days apart.By a 405-0 vote, lawmakers directed the Secret Service to apply uniform standards of protection “for determining the number of agents required to protect Presidents, Vice Presidents, and major Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates.”The bill was voted under suspension of the House rules, meaning it needed two-thirds approval to pass.The legislation also requires the Secret Service to issue a report on the effectiveness of its protection for presidents, vice presidents, former presidents and major presidential and vice presidential candidates, who are designated to be “major” protectees by the Homeland Security secretary and congressional leaders.Reps.Mike Lawler (R-NY) and Ritchie Torres (D-NY) introduced the bill the day after Trump’s first brush with death, when would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, shot him in the ear at a Pennsylvania campaign rally on July 13.It was brought up for a vote this week, five days after Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, set up a sniper’s nest off the 6th hole at Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach in Florida.Ousted Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle admitted that the Pennsylvania attempt was the agency’s “most significant operational failure” in decades, but her successor took no responsibility for the thwarted second attempt.Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe later told Trump, 78, that a major increase was needed in security resources and coordination if he wanted to keep playing golf.At a Monday press conference, Rowe told reporters that Routh “did not have line of sight to the former president” and “fled the scene” after being fired upon by a Secret Service agent on advance patrol at the course.“He did not fire or get off any shots at our agents.

With reports of gunfire, the form...