DNC Security Preparations Not Impacted by Assassination Attempt, Say Authorities

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker speaks before U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the economy, at the Old Post Office in Chicago, Ill., on June 28, 2023. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

A common theme emerged from local, state, and federal officials Thursday at a Chicago press conference ahead of the Democratic National Convention (DNC): The approach to security has changed little because of July 13, when former President Donald Trump was nearly assassinated at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Anthony Guglielmi, the chief of communications for the U.S. Secret Service, told The Epoch Times that the DNC is considered a National Special Security Event (NSSE), a label assigned by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

That means security for the event was designed over a long period of time with many “layers of security,” including restrictions on pedestrian and vehicle access.

“It’s not a fair comparison to compare something of this magnitude, like the NATO summit or a convention, to just kind of an everyday protected visit,” said Mr. Guglielmi. He was referring to the NATO gathering that took place in the Windy City in May 2012, when Chicagoan Barack Obama was president. Unlike the Trump rally in Butler, it, too, was an NSSE.

During the July 25 press conference, Secret Service representatives joined Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, and other local authorities to outline their approach to security at the upcoming event, which will take place Aug. 19–22 at the United Center indoor arena west of downtown.

The head of the U.S. Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle, resigned on July 23, one day after facing criticism from both Democrats and Republicans during a congressional hearing over how security on July 13 was handled. She had earlier appeared at the Republican National Convention, where Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and other Republican senators confronted her.

“Incidents like what took place in Butler, Pennsylvania, must never happen again,” said Derek Mayer, the special agent leading Chicago’s field office of the Secret Service. He said the DNC plan had been reviewed after July 13, and the agency “remained confident” in it, suggesting it would be carried off as securely as the Republican National Convention earlier this month.

Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department, Larry Snelling, said his agency had visited the RNC “just to see what was going on there.” He later told reporters he did not anticipate any “major changes” as a result of what he observed.

“We are prepared to move with the flow of intelligence that we get,” he said.

“We are living in an elevated threat environment,” said Lucas Rothaar, acting special agent-in-charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s field office in Chicago. He told reporters that no significant threats to the event had been identified.

Maps released by Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC) show perimeters around two sites in Chicago. One pair of perimeters surrounds the United Center, home to basketball’s Chicago Bulls and hockey’s Chicago Blackhawks. Another protects the McCormick Place Convention Center, which will also host events.

At both sites, outer perimeters are for vehicle screening, while the inner perimeters restrict pedestrian movement. The perimeters around McCormick Place kick in late on Aug. 16, while those surrounding the United Center come into effect on Aug. 17.

DHS Scrutinized After July 13

While the Secret Service falls under the authority of DHS, no separate representative of that organization appeared at the press conference. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has come under fire from some lawmakers after July 13, the latest in a long-running conflict between Republicans and the cabinet-level official.

“Now Alejandro Mayorkas should resign,” Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) wrote on X after Ms. Cheatle resigned.

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said on July 15 that Mr. Mayorkas had finally agreed to provide him with Secret Service protection. The official had rebuffed Mr. Kennedy’s fifth request for protection in April, prompting Mr. Kennedy’s attorney, Aaron Siri, to send a letter condemning the move.

Harris Nomination, Protests Likely

Although security was the main focus of the press conference, speakers also pledged that attendees and others would be permitted to exercise their First Amendment rights.

“Our job is to uphold the Constitution, and that is exactly what we’re going to do,” Mr. Snelling said.

Protests against the Biden administration’s Israel policy have been anticipated for months.

The Coalition to March on the DNC has made it clear that opponents of the Biden administration’s Israel policy intend to demonstrate at the event, even though the president has dropped out of the race.

Vice President Kamala Harris, now the party’s likely nominee, denounced “despicable acts by unpatriotic protesters and dangerous hate-fueled rhetoric” in Washington as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke before Congress on Wednesday.

Chicago will be a showcase for it all, and for some eerie parallels to 1968.

“The eyes of the world will be on our great city,” Mr. Pritzker said.

Intentionally or otherwise, the governor’s language recalled a chant—“The whole world is watching”—used by anti-Vietnam War protesters during his party’s 1968 convention in Chicago.

The convention was particularly charged because the incumbent Democratic president, Lyndon Baines Johnson, had in March declared that he would neither seek nor accept his party’s nomination.

One Democratic hopeful that year, Robert F. Kennedy, was assassinated in June of 1968. His son is in the running this cycle, though no longer as a Democrat.

President Johnson’s decision made it the purpose of the 1968 convention to select a new presidential nominee for the Democrats. This year, the party will hold a virtual roll call before the convention to nominate their candidate, most likely Ms. Harris. Yet, the sudden change at the top of the ticket could make the next few weeks unpredictable.

In the 1968 general election, Republican Richard Nixon defeated the Democrats’ eventual nominee, Vice President Hubert Humphrey.