Opinion: Secret Service can't delegate responsibility

A dictionary definition of responsibility is this: the state or fact of being accountable for or to blame for something.

Note the “being accountable” but also note the “to blame” in the above.

Not found in the dictionary, but found in United States Marine Corp bootcamp, is the dictum that one can delegate authority, but there is no delegating responsibility.

Some years ago, I wrote a piece about a Marine recruit who died in bootcamp. After an investigation, the drill instructor involved was court martialed and disciplined. Simultaneously, as I recall, the series gunnery sergeant, the company commander, the regimental sergeant major and the regimental commander were all relieved of duty.

One cannot delegate responsibility.

The recent report on Secret Service security failures at Butler, Pa., released by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, listed lack of a chain of command, poor coordination with state and local law enforcement, inadequate resources and equipment and a failure to effectively secure the site. The committee, correctly, referred to these inadequacies as, “a perfect storm of stunning failure.”

The committee’s recommendations to remediate these deficiencies included, “enhancing planning and coordination, communication and expanding intelligence assets and resources.”

Noticeable absent from the committee report was any recommendation for a complete dismissal of the entire Secret Service leadership. When one reviews the roster of no chain of command, poor coordination with other law enforcement agencies, and inadequate resources and equipment, it is obvious that all of these are command functions.

Former director Kimberly Cheatle resigned, but she had to be forced to do that. She was reluctant to accept responsibility, and positively refused to take any blame for the debacle.

The rest of the headquarters group, administration, intelligence, operations and logistics, remain in place. They all failed, and should be replaced, not by resigning, by firing.

You can’t delegate responsibility.

As a side note, Eric Prince, former U.S. Navy SEAL officer, and the founder of the private military company Blackwater, likes to boast, accurately, that it has never lost a client while providing security to State Department officials and visiting politicians in combat zones. Although some officials mentioned that Blackwater was sometimes a little “heavy handed” escorting them, they are all still alive and have both ears.

The Trump campaign should hire Eric Prince for Trump’s security, and charge Prince’s fee to the federal government for their failure to provide competent security at presidential campaign events.

Rube Render is a former Clovis city commissioner and former chair of the Curry County Republican Party. Contact him:

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