POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY, Iowa (KMTV) — Pottawattamie County Republican Party Chairperson Starlyn Perdue is in Milwaukee for the GOP convention. She gave us some insight into delegates' reaction to the attempted assassination of former President Trump.
- Former Iowa legislator, Maryann Hanusa, also worked in the the West Wing of the White House during the George W. Bush administration. She had a daily contact with members of the Secret Service and shared her experiences of working with the agency.
- “How could a former president be up on the stage and have someone shooting at him because you can’t even bring in aerosol hairspray to these events,” said Perdue.
- “You could hear them saying, ‘Are we clear, are we clear?’ because they needed that clearance to be able to take themselves off of him, and then take him to a moving vehicle,” Hanusa said.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
ANCHOR: Political officials and elected leaders here in the metro, (are) also well acquainted with campaign rallies and working with the Secret Service.
Southwest Iowa neighborhood reporter Katrina Markel brings us their thoughts as the GOP convention is ready to start.
Pottawattamie County Republican Chairperson Starlyn Perdue was with other delegates to GOP convention in Milwaukee when they heard former President Trump was shot at a rally on Saturday
“I went back to my room. Called my husband. I was very upset,” she said.
But, when she realized Trump wasn’t seriously injured, Perdue says she felt hope.
Because of Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucuses, Perdue has seen the Secret Service at work, up close, many times.
“... Secret Service and sharpshooters on top of grain bins.”
I asked her about the early reaction from delegates.
“How could a former president be up on the stage and have someone shooting at him because you can’t even bring in aerosol hairspray to these events,” said Perdue.
Maryann Hanusa is a former state legislator from Council Bluffs, and White House staffer during both Bush administrations.
“In fact, one of them, one of the agents there, came to our wedding reception, so you develop friendships with them,” said Hanusa.
She says, on Saturday, Americans got a look at the “professionalism” of the Secret Service.
“You could hear them saying, ‘Are we clear, are we clear?’ because they needed that clearance to be able to take themselves off of him, and then take him to a moving vehicle,” Hanusa said.
She cautions against people making snap judgments about the shooting or spreading misinformation on social media. She wants the public to give investigators time and patience to do their jobs.
“The truth of the matter is, we don’t know,” Hanusa said. “I’m all for a good conspiracy theory but if it’s not warranted, it’s not fair to the people who are trying to do the job to get the information as quickly as possible.”
At the convention, Perdue feels confident about security: “We are super excited to get started"
Hanusa is, too. And while the investigation is important and will take time, there's something that could happen right away: "I think this is a real opportunity for both sides of the aisle to just reset, recalibrate and just tone down the rhetoric."
