White House to review security after shooting, calls DHS shutdown 'national scandal'

The White House said Monday it will convene a high-level meeting with security officials this week following a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, while criticizing the two-month shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as a "national scandal."

“I understand there will be a meeting early this week, convened by the White House Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles, with top DHS leadership, members of the United States Secret Service and our own operations team here to ensure the safety and the security of the President,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.

Leavitt sharply criticized what she described as insufficient attention to security defunding, saying: “Make no mistake, this defunding of DHS should be a national scandal.”

“If Republicans defunded DHS and we saw another attempted assassination on a Democrat president, I would hope that the media coverage would be relentless and unforgiving,” she added.

The annual dinner, held Saturday at the Washington Hilton, was disrupted after a suspected gunman triggered a security response, prompting authorities to evacuate the venue. Officials later confirmed all attendees were safe.

“I can tell you, it was seconds before we were told to get down, and it was seconds before we found ourselves in the holdroom backstage. It all happened literally within a matter of seconds,” Leavitt said.

She added: “If that man was allowed into that ballroom, it would have been a much different scene.”

Authorities identified the suspect as a 31-year-old man from Torrance, California, who is expected to appear in federal court.

Leavitt also blamed political rhetoric for contributing to the threat environment.

“The left-wing cult of hatred against the president and all of those who support him and work for him has gotten multiple people hurt and killed, and it almost did so again this weekend,” she said.