White House to Convene Emergency Security Summit Following Shooting
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the emergency gathering to reporters, stating: "I understand there will be a meeting early this week, convened by the White House Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles, with top DHS leadership, members of the United States Secret Service and our own operations team here to ensure the safety and the security of the President."
Leavitt reserved particular condemnation for what she framed as a deliberate defunding of the Department of Homeland Security, declaring with unmistakable force: "Make no mistake, this defunding of DHS should be a national scandal." She escalated the political charge further, adding: "If Republicans defunded DHS and we saw another attempted assassination on a Democrat president, I would hope that the media coverage would be relentless and unforgiving."
The annual dinner, held Saturday evening at the Washington Hilton, descended into chaos when a suspected gunman triggered an immediate security response, forcing authorities to evacuate hundreds of attendees from the venue. Officials subsequently confirmed no guests were harmed in the incident.
Leavitt offered a firsthand account of the harrowing moments that followed, describing the speed of the response: "I can tell you, it was seconds before we were told to get down, and it was seconds before we found ourselves in the holdroom backstage. It all happened literally within a matter of seconds."
She underscored the potential gravity of what could have unfolded, warning: "If that man was allowed into that ballroom, it would have been a much different scene."
Authorities have identified the suspect as a 31-year-old man from Torrance, California, with a federal court appearance expected imminently.
Leavitt also pointed to what she described as a poisoned political climate as a driving force behind the escalating threat landscape. "The left-wing cult of hatred against the president and all of those who support him and work for him has gotten multiple people hurt and killed, and it almost did so again this weekend," she said, signaling the White House's intent to press the issue aggressively in the days ahead.
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