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‘Morning Joe’ Slams ‘Extraordinarily Stupid’ Move On WHCD’s Part
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MS NOW host Joe Scarborough on Monday lobbied against the White House Correspondents’ Dinner being held at a hotel, calling it an “extraordinarily stupid” idea because of the security concerns. (Watch the video below.) The “Morning Joe” personality was reacting to the shooting at the Washington Hilton on Saturday as the dinner was in progress with President Donald Trump and several administration VIPs in attendance. The gunman was allegedly rushing to the ballroom and shot a Secret Service agent in his protective vest before he was apprehended. Several officers converged on the ballroom to protect Trump and others. The suspect’s ability to maneuver in the hotel with weapons while the president was nearby prompted worry over safeguarding the chain of command. “It just seems extraordinarily stupid to use an open hotel and get State of the Union-type concentration of power in the United States, especially at a time of war against a country (Iran) that’s been the epicenter of terrorism since 1979, and have them walking around, going in and out of parties, standing to get their pictures taken before they go in,” Scarborough said. “It’s never made sense to me. It’s never made sense to Mika [Brzezinski],” he added. “It seems like such an unsecure place,” he continued. Scarborough detoured briefly to chastise MAGA pols and influencers for almost simultaneously launching posts in support of Trump’s ballroom ― as if heeding a coordinated White House or press office demand. “I just can’t think of a dumber place to have this than at the Washington Hilton,” Scarborough said. “I know it’s history, but history be damned when you’re putting your secretary of defense, you’re putting your FBI director, you’re putting the secretary of treasury, putting the vice president, you’re putting the president ―” Scarborough said, before Brzezinski interjected noting that it was “on the Trump administration” for having “that concentration of power in one place at a time of war.” It should not be that way “ever again,” Scarborough replied. “Anybody that has been there understands you aren’t securing the entire hotel. You’re not checking people’s bags,” he said. “You’re not doing the basic things that would be done, like, at the State of the Union address.” The shooter, who reportedly expressed his hatred for the Trump administration and called himself a “friendly federal assassin,” bragged about the lack of security before the alleged attack. The Washington Post reported that the Trump administration designated the event as a lower-level threat despite the presence of Trump, Vice President JD Vance and many Cabinet officials. The responsibility of formally labeling a gathering as a “National Special Security Event,” which puts the Secret Service fully in charge, falls on the homeland security secretary. Markwayne Mullin recently replaced Kristi Noem in that post. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
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