A second breach at Mar-a-Lago is raising new questions and concerns about security at the President’s private club.
A college student was reportedly on the grounds at Mar-a-Lago for 20 minutes before he was arrested.
“I don’t think this is something that the Secret Service is going to take lightly,” said Tim Miller, a retired Secret Service agent.
Mark Lindblom, 18, is now the second person in a matter of months to get past Secret Service agents and make his way onto Mar-a-Lago when President Trump was in town.
“This should appropriately be a concern to the Secret Service, and knowing what I know, they’re looking at it in a big way now,” Miller said.
Miller says a comprehensive review regarding security at Mar-a-Lago is in order after Lindblom pleads guilty in federal court Tuesday to gaining entry onto the President’s resort.
According to the Palm Beach Post, the University of Wisconsin student slipped past security through an underground tunnel during the Thanksgiving weekend. The Secret Service says Lindblom was screened for weapons and then walked to the common area of the club.
“Certainly the person was screened for weapons, but the person was not authorized to be in that area,” Miller said.
This breach happened four months before a Chinese national, 33-year-old Yujing Zhang, talked her way past security at Mar-a-Lago.
It’s unclear what her motive was, but she’s pleaded not guilty. The Post says the college student told the judge, “I wanted to see how far I could get.”
“The Secret Service is going to be looking at it through practical lenses, what is it that we are doing now that allowing this to occur and how do we fix it,” Miller said.
The college student was sentenced to one-year probation. The Secret Service adds that he never came in contact with the President or First Lady because of a layered security system in place.
Lindblom's attorney, Marcos Beaton, Jr., partner at Sinclair, Louis & Zavertnik, PA released the following statement:
As a lawyer, it was difficult to watch this matter turn into a criminal matter. A great deal of work went into putting the entire episode into perspective.
Indeed, today's result was the culmination of a great deal of work on the part of both the government and I to find an acceptable result.
On behalf of Mr. Lindblom and his family, we are grateful for the Court's ruling today and the government's recommendation.
This was a youthful indiscretion that, because of the circumstances, amplified the nature of the consequences to Mr. Lindblom and, as we said in Court today, amplified the risks, disruption, and potential for catastrophe his decision caused.
We consider this matter closed and have nothing but the highest respect for the job that the United States Secret Service does.
Mr. Lindblom simply looks forward to moving on with his life.
