Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
In a recent interview on the PBD podcast, renowned Army Ranger sniper Nick Irving, known for his 33 confirmed kills and extensive experience protecting high-profile figures, shared his concerns about the current state of the Secret Service.
Irving, who has protected figures like Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden as part of a private military contractor (PMC), delivered a blunt assessment of the agency’s vulnerabilities in the wake of the attempt on Trump’s life last month.
Table of contents
Was It A Setup?
Nick said the agency’s failures were so “catastrophic” that it almost seemed like a “setup.”
“Um, from what I know now, it just seems like—I don’t want to be like a conspiracy theorist—but it almost feels like it was a setup at this point,” NIck said.
“When I heard that he was on the rooftop, that was like a big sign for me that, you know, why was a counter-sniper team not having eyes on a vantage point like that? Um, The High Ground, that’s like military 101,” he explained.
Inadequate Training
Irving emphasized the need for rigorous training and better communication. He criticized the Secret Service’s lack of coordination.
Nick also spoke about his history working with the agency. He noted that while they’re “good” they’re certainly not elite.
He said:
To undergo, and I’ve—when I first initially left the military and I did my PMC time—after that I ran a shooting school or shooting package. And on three different occasions, the Secret Service came down to train with me and another instructor for a week at a time. And once we got to certain distances, for guys like us, it’s considered like, that’s a pretty good shot, that’s an easy shot. But when they got on scope and got on glass and it came time to actually engage targets, it was night and day. It was night and day. They only stretched their rifles out so far. And the line of work that they’re doing, they’re not—they’re more of like your basic, I guess, SWAT team, high-level SWAT team sniper. They’re not shooting great distances. If I wanted to assassinate a president or somebody like that, it would be—I’m stretching shots out, like, easily over half a mile. And their counter snipers, it’d be hard for them to plug me at that point.
This point was underscored by his comment that he (or someone with his pedigree) could best the Secret Service 98 outta 100 times.
“They have technology on their side, but they’re not as—I think the movies really, really pulled a number on them, hyped them up, I guess. Like, they’re good, but up against a really good sniper, there’s not much they can do,” he said.
Tactical Insights from a Seasoned Sniper
The interview also delved into Irving’s past experiences, highlighting his tactical expertise.
He shared his approach to securing high-profile events, which included extensive perimeter scanning, use of advanced technology, and strategic positioning of counter-sniper teams.
One thing that really stuck out was his approach to that event if he were the would-be assassin. Nick talked about setting up in the parking lot across the street.
“I would set up like the DC sniper did, shooting from the back of my vehicle, and that way I could leave relatively pretty quick and keep my shots somewhat muzzled,” he explained.
It’s clear that Crooks, the 20-year-old responsible for the incident, was definitely not a professional.
Global Sniper Training Standards
During the interview, Irving shed light on the international landscape of sniper training. When asked which country produces the best snipers, he gave a surprising answer (at least to me).
“Wow, country. Germany’s pretty good. Germany’s pretty good. That’s almost like, that’s basically where sniping started,” he said. “Germany’s really good. In the United States, military branch-wise, Marines—the Marine Corps—they produce the best, absolute best, snipers.”
When asked what makes the Germans so great, Nick said:
Their history and their lineage, um, they’re so old school, but they’re really good at the fundamentals. They are extremely good at the fundamentals. And I think something that we kind of lack, or that we did lack, was we would kind of, you know, get cocky, I guess, a little bit, and we let technology start to take over. They stayed so, you know, well with the basics. They had a really good grasp on the basics, and that’s what made them really, really good.
Nick said that we can’t sleep on Delta Force snipers either. He gave them their props and said when it comes to pure shooting they’re the best in the world.
“I would pick Delta on shooting,” he told PBD. “When it comes to the craft and the art of being a sniper and the stalking, I’m taking Germany.”
Recommendations Improvement
Irving’s insights serve as a stark reminder of the potential gaps in the nation’s security apparatus. His advice was straightforward when it came to the existing unit.
- Investigate the team
- Conduct polygraphs
- Check work history
- Scrutinize communication records
Basically, Nick wants to know if any of the personnel were in on it. During the polygraph, he would ask questions like:
- Did you have prior knowledge of the hit against Trump?
- Do you have disdain for the former president?
- Have you had communications with any other federal agencies (CIA/FBI) about the incident?
Getting to the bottom of what happened is critical. Because Nick believes this won’t be the last time someone tries to take Trump out.
“I’m almost certain it’s going to happen again. I’m almost certain it’s going to. The political atmosphere right now, it’s—you can almost feel it. It’s so thick in the air, you can feel—you can feel it,” he said.
“I, I know for a fact—well, I’m not going to say for a fact, but I believe if he were assassinated, waking up that next day would have been a different America, I believe that. I think it would be a different America. Scary America,” he continued.
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Protecting High-Profile Figures
Detailing the financial aspects, Irving stated that hiring the best snipers and team leaders, along with necessary equipment, would be a relatively minor expense given the stakes involved.
For 10 elite snipers and all necessary guns and gear (including, M4s, 6.5 Creedmoor and .308 rifles, Schmidt Bender scopes), it would cost about $1.4 million to $2.3 million for three months, in his estimation.
One can argue that’s a small price to pay for ensuring the safety of our leaders and preserving our democracy.
Conclusion: The Need for Answers
Toward the end of the interview, PBD asked Nick, “Do you think we’ll get to the bottom of this, or there may be a possibility that it’ll be a similar thing to JFK, that we’ll never know?”
Nick responded:
There we go. I think we’ll never know. I think they have already gotten to the bottom of it. It’s just, I don’t think that we’ll have the privilege of knowing what happened because if it was really that bad and the Secret Service sucked that bad that day, then it gives away too much information that another potential shooter or enemy of the country, you know, it gives them weight. I mean, they don’t really need to be told; they saw it. A 20-year-old kid with zero training, zero background, was able to pull this off. So, they’ve already failed. Why they’re that bad or were that bad, I don’t think we’ll ever know.
However, both men mentioned the potential for a whistleblower to come forward. If that happens, we might finally learn whether the attempt on Trump’s life was due to gross incompetence or if there’s something nefarious going on behind the scenes.
Such a revelation would be crucial not only for justice but also for improving future security measures and restoring public trust.
Ultimately, the quest for truth continues. Whether the full story will ever emerge remains uncertain, but the pressing need for answers is undeniable.
Do you believe it was a setup?
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