A Secret Service agent who literally took a bullet for President Ronald Reagan is now defending the agency after the shocking armed breach at the White House Correspondents\u2019 Dinner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tim McCarthy \u2014 the agent wounded during the 1981 assassination attempt on Reagan \u2014 says critics need to cool it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think we need to ratchet down the rhetoric just a little bit and give the Secret Service at the moment quite a bit of credit for doing a hell of a good job,\u201d McCarthy said on NewsNation Live<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s no small endorsement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n McCarthy was among the agents protecting Reagan outside the Washington Hilton in March 1981 when would-be assassin John Hinckley Jr. opened fire. Reagan was hit by a bullet that ricocheted off his limousine, piercing his lung and causing massive internal bleeding. McCarthy, along with Press Secretary James Brady and others, was also struck \u2014 Brady left permanently disabled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, more than four decades later, McCarthy is weighing in on another high-stakes moment at the very same hotel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On Saturday night, an armed suspect stormed<\/a> the White House Correspondents\u2019 Dinner, where President Donald Trump was in attendance \u2014 sparking panic and fierce backlash online over security failures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But McCarthy says the system worked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis guy really didn\u2019t get too far,\u201d he said. \u201cHe ran through the metal detectors\u2026 exchanged gunfire\u2026 wasn\u2019t even on the same floor\u2026 and was tackled by an agent, never got to the stairs.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Despite viral outrage \u2014 and even the suspect himself claiming there was \u201cno damn security\u201d \u2014 McCarthy emphasized the layered defense that stopped the threat cold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNow, security is in layers,\u201d he explained, detailing how multiple levels of resistance stood between the gunman and the president, including counter-assault teams and SWAT units.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Bottom line: the shooter never got close.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSecurity was tested, security responded, and at this point it did pretty well,\u201d McCarthy said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n The Trump White House appears to agree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Officials praised the Secret Service for quickly evacuating the president, vice president, and cabinet, while Chief of Staff Susie Wiles is set to review protocols going forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Still, critics have questioned whether more could have been done \u2014 including calls to lock down the entire hotel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n McCarthy dismissed<\/a> that idea outright.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, try finding a hotel with a ballroom if you\u2019re going to shut the hotel down,\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019re not going to find one. No one\u2019s going to want to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He also noted that security included multiple layers \u2014 possibly more than the standard three \u2014 and that the threat never reached the ballroom floor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For McCarthy, who lived through one of the darkest days in presidential security history, the verdict is clear:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo far, based on what I know, I\u2019m pretty satisfied with what the Secret Service did on this occasion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Washington Hilton hotel said is a statement Monday it was following \u201cstringent\u201d Secret Service protocols during Saturday\u2019s White House Correspondents\u2019 Association dinner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe \u200bhotel was operating under stringent security \u200bprotocols for the property as directed by the \u200cU.S. \u2060Secret Service, which led security,\u201d a hotel spokesperson said in a statement, according to Reuters<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The spokesperson reportedly added<\/a> that the Secret Service coordinated with numerous security teams, including the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) in addition to hotel security.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n\n
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