Hundreds of journalists joined supporters and opponents of former President Donald Trump as he was arraigned at the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. federal courthouse in Miami on Tuesday.
Later, in a clear failure by Miami Dade Police Department, protesters swarmed part of Trump's motorcade as it departed the courthouse. It was just the start of a circus that is sure to follow this case until and likely far beyond any trial's conclusion.
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Because of the political import of the case, heavy national media attention attached to it, and the significant emotion it provokes for some Americans, the security ramifications will be significant. We should thus spare at least a fleeting thought for the men and women of the U.S. Marshals Service and U.S. Secret Service. It is they who will be most responsible for securing those involved in whatever is to come.
Take Special Counsel Jack Smith, who is leading the prosecution of Trump for the Justice Department. Seen by many Trump supporters (unfairly, in my view) as a corrupted partisan activist, Smith is almost certainly attracting a non-insignificant number of threats against his person. Video of Smith posted online suggests he has been given at least a minimal- or medium-sized protective detail. The deputy U.S. Marshals assigned to this detail will be drawn from the Marshals Service's Judicial Security Division, which is responsible for protecting federal judges and other court officers such as prosecutors.
The Marshals Service's challenge, however, is that it is generally overstretched and specifically under-resourced in its protective mission. A 2021 audit found that the Marshals Service was short 1,200 deputy U.S. Marshals (about 25% of its total workforce). Protecting Smith and others associated with this case will be time- and cost-intensive. If and when the trial begins, things will get even more hectic. It is likely, for example, that the Marshals Service will then deploy its Special Operations Group SWAT team to the courthouse until the trial's conclusion.
Then there's the U.S. Secret Service.
Like the Marshals Service and other federal law enforcement agencies, the Secret Service is stretched by its expansive list of protectees. The Secret Service already faces significant resource requirements in protecting Trump. Trump has always attracted a significant threat portfolio because of the controversy he courts. But the Secret Service's challenge is only increasing as the former president ramps up his campaign travel in pursuit of regaining his old job. That travel requires extensive preparatory work by the Secret Service and the redeployment of agents from other investigative duties.
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Extensive public attention toward Trump's trial will generate further protective concerns. Some of this will involve showmanship by Trump's opponents (such as the protester who approached Trump's motorcade while in a prison uniform on Tuesday). But the Secret Service will also fear that the trial's publicity will attract more disturbing threats against Trump. Evincing as much, Trump's detail was supported by a Secret Service Counter Assault Team while he attended the courthouse on Tuesday. It is rare for former presidents to be assigned a CAT, being that the Secret Service only has a few such units.
Top line: The logistics of ensuring this trial proceeds effectively without harm coming to any of those involved will be significant and stressful.