MILWAUKEE — Agents did move; we just might not have noticed.
In an exclusive interview with WTMJ, United States Secret Service Chief of Communications, Anthony Guglielmi, insisted the close encounter between an alleged drunk driver and the motorcade for Vice President Kamala Harris in Milwaukee, “did not pose a threat,” to the VP.
Wisconsin Department of Transportation video from the incident shows the motorcade eastbound on I-94 approaching the Marquette Interchange on Monday, October 21st. Vice President Harris was headed back to Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport, following a campaign appearance in Brookfield.
An alleged drunk driver, having entered the freeway at an unguarded off-ramp, was headed westbound and drove within feet of the motorcade.
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None of the lead law enforcement vehicles intervened to stop the approaching SUV. It may appear to some that there was also no reaction from the protective detail for the Vice President. Guglielmi said the latter is not correct.
“Vehicles in the motorcade that serve a purpose were repositioned,” he shared. Guglielmi stopped short of providing information on what countermeasures those vehicles were prepared to use, but did say that protocol for the “rolling bubble” as it is called, was properly followed.
Guglielmi further shared that the oncoming vehicle had no effect on the speed of the motorcade, which is significant as well. The objective for the rolling bubble is to keep moving forward rapidly, and that continued to be the case in this instance.
Wayne Wacker, 55, of Milwaukee faces an OWI and a charge of 2nd degree recklessly endangering safety. The criminal complaint states Wacker had no recollection of getting on the freeway, had no intention of causing harm to the Vice President, and had left a bar in Walker’s Point just before the encounter.
The Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office arrested Wacker at the back end of the motorcade after he passed. Authorities say his blood alcohol level was more than three times the legal limit for driving.
Click on the podcast above to hear more perspective from the U.S. Secret Service on the Milwaukee incident.
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