The Secret Service has come under attack for its laxity, especially in connection with the first Trump assassination attempt. Some have speculated that the Service, or some of its members, are deliberately exposing Trump to danger. I heard an anecdote yesterday that suggests the problem is incompetence, not political bias. ...

This is the kind of absurd failure of security that typified the Secret Service’s actions in Butler, Pennsylvania: the most obvious security precautions were not taken. This time, the protectee was a Democrat.

It seems to me that, on the evidence of the last few months, Secret Service agents are in some cases–many cases, it looks like–just going through the motions. This agency, like a number of federal agencies, needs a thorough shakeup.