Reality Rears Its Head

3 July 2020

 

Cogito Ergo Non Serviam

Covid Among Secret Service Postpones Pence Trip

 

The right has decided to deny the effects of the Covid-19 outbreak. However, denial does not change reality no matter how hard one tries. The virus infects everyone it can regardless of national borders, religious beliefs or party affiliation. The Trump administration finally ran into reality with Vice President Mike Pence's trip to Arizona being postponed from Tuesday to Wednesday. The reason was a small outbreak of the virus among Secret Service officers working the advance detail.

The Pence team, while supportive of the president and his denialist views, has been marginally reasonable of late. Covid-19 has spread rapidly in Arizona in the last several days. The Washington Post notes, "Pence's staff was concerned last weekend about their ability to hold planned public events in Tucson and Yuma due to the outbreak, one administration official said, and decided on Saturday to visit only Phoenix for a much smaller meeting -- a public health briefing with Gov. Doug Ducey (R) and local health care leaders.

"On Monday night, the Secret Service urged Pence's staff to delay the Tuesday trip until Wednesday because at least one agent on the ground had a confirmed case of covid-19 and other agents and federal officers preparing for the Arizona visit were showing signs of illness, according to two administration officials."

The Secret Service needed to get replacements to Phoenix to cover for the 8-10 agents who were ill or possibly falling ill. This comes on the heels of similar replacements being needed for the president's rally in Tulsa the week before.

This is entirely unnecessary and callous. The Secret Service protective details are, by definition, selfless people. Their job is to take a bullet for the president, vice president or other VIP. However, the president and others are not in the habit of walking into shooting galleries on a whim. Exposing these patriots to Covid-19 for a rally that is not significant business of the nation is appalling.

Of course, there is pushback by the Vice President's office. "Instead of highlighting Vice President Pence's concerted effort with Task Force members to visit and support states with new cases, The Washington Post is choosing to use its pages to report on a story of little use to every day Americans attempting to learn more about how coronavirus affects them or the Administration' response efforts," Pence spokesman Devin O'Malley said in a statement. Of course, when the story is about changes to the Veep's schedule because of the virus, that shows just how far-reaching the effects of the virus are.

Mr. Pence himself stated, "Well, the rising cases here in Arizona is why I'm here. It's why we brought the White House Coronavirus Task Force here. I'm a real believer, as President Trump is, in -- in sitting down with the people that are leading the effort." A video conference is not quite the same, one admits, but it is vastly safer and frees up the VP to do other things rather than travel thousands of miles.

Secret Service communications director Catherine Milhoan issued a statement, reflecting the fact that the organization is full of good soldiers who will not undermine the administration. "The health and safety of our workforce, their families, and that of our protectees remains the agencys highest'priority," she said. "As a matter of practice, the Secret Service does not comment on the means and methods used to carry out our protective operations. The men and women of the Secret Service continue to meet operational mission requirements without fail.

It would be nice if the people they protect cared as much about them as they care about their charges.

 

© Copyright 2020 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Ubuntu Linux.


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