Monday marks the start of our national political conventions, which will likely be the most heavily secured in our history. Saturday’s attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania will likely dictate an even higher security posture, particularly for this week’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. The last time we held a national event that was as critical to and symbolic of our democracy was on January 6, 2021, as Congress attempted to ratify the electoral college vote. Security measures and intelligence collection failed that day, and they failed on Saturday. That can’t happen again. As someone who was the FBI’s point person for a Democratic National Convention, I see five major challenges for the plans to secure these conventions.
First, the threat of international terrorism is high. FBI Director Chris Wray has warned of a possible attack in the United States, perhaps from ISIS-K, the terror group’s branch in Afghanistan, or from Hamas, Hezbollah or their sympathizers due to the Israel-Gaza war. On June 4, Wray told a Senate sub-committee, “Looking back over my career in law enforcement, I’d be hard pressed to think of a time when so many different threats to our public safety and national security were so elevated all at once…. Increasingly concerning is the potential for a coordinated attack here in the homeland.” Recently, the FBI and Customs and Border Protection arrested eight ISIS-affiliated migrants from Tajikistan in Los Angeles, New York and Philadelphia, who entered through the southern border.
The challenge of securing an event while preserving Americans’ freedoms of speech and assembly is fraught with complications.
Second, the domestic terror threat level is also high. Data tracked by the Tech Transparency Project shows that potentially violent militia groups are back on social media platforms in numbers not seen since January 6. Even on platforms like Facebook that have previously banned such groups, these extremists have returned, recruiting and engaging in combat training for, as they say, “What’s coming.” Oath Keepers, Proud Boys, and the Three Percenters are all looking for a fight and may feel emboldened by Trump’s pledge to pardon a “large portion” of the January 6 rioters.
Third, the challenge of securing an event while preserving Americans’ freedoms of speech and assembly is fraught with complications. Designated free speech areas and speakers’ platforms adjacent to the Milwaukee convention site can be attractive targets for those who don’t like what a group or person is saying. The RNC has not been happy with the U.S. Secret Service’s plans to locate these protest areas so close to the gated hard perimeter of the venue. Ironically, that’s partly because, while weapons are prohibited in the hard perimeter, people allowed access to the designated “soft security” zones around the free speech areas are allowed by Wisconsin state law to carry a gun. This makes it all the more likely that clashes between left wing and right-wing protestors may spiral into violence.
Fourth, Russia, North Korea, Iran and China are increasingly partnering together and honing their malicious cyber-attack skills. A cyber-attack by one or more of those adversaries on either host city, or on the event venues themselves, could overshadow the conventions — and sow chaos and disruption.
Fifth, as Saturday showed, a lone actor or a small cell of independent actors, hellbent on a small but effective terror attack, is incredibly difficult to thwart. The FBI and the Secret Service will most certainly conduct “knock and talks” with potentially violent suspects to disrupt them from traveling to the conventions. The FBI did this to certain investigative subjects just prior to January 6, 2021, and, according to Director Wray, it stopped some suspects from traveling to the Capitol. Clearly, though, that wasn’t enough. Unlike Saturday’s rally, the Secret Service, the lead agency for securing the conventions, has planned for these conventions for almost a year. The agency’s director, Kimberly Cheatle has raised her public profile to explain the seriousness with which law enforcement at all levels is taking on the security planning for these events. She’s run a press conference, appeared on national television and shared information with the public in an attempt to assure Americans while sending a subtle message that attempts to disrupt the conventions will face the full force of law enforcement. The ever-present threat of violence and terrorism should not hang over America’s democratic processes. And unlike Saturday’s rally or the ratification of the electoral college votes in 2021, next week’s convention has been designated a National Security Special Event. Likely, the DNC in Chicago will be as well. That means the full extent of the U.S. government’s investigative and intelligence took kit, including some classified measures, can be deployed to secure the conventions. Next week, we’ll see the Secret Service, the FBI and at least 1,100 law enforcement officers from over 100 agencies across the U.S., secure everything from streets and bridges to maritime waters and airspace in to try and protect our democratic process. They’ll do it all over again a month later in Chicago. It shouldn’t have to be this way. The ever-present threat of violence and terrorism should not hang over America’s democratic processes. But until our reality changes, I’ll support the ballot, not the bullet.
