Former President Donald Trump‘s hometown could be poised to rebel against the Secret Service.
The possible threat of legal action was announced on Saturday by the Town of Palm Beach after the federal law enforcement agency imposed a roadblock upon a stretch of road near Mar-a-Lago, a beachfront resort that Trump calls home. The block is set to continue “until the November general election at a minimum.”
The Town of Palm Beach issued an alert which read as follows:
“On Saturday, July 20, 2024, at 5:00 a.m., due to enhanced security measures involving Mar-a-Lago and U.S. Secret Service-protected person(s), South Ocean Boulevard will be closed to through traffic.
“The closure will span from the intersection of South County Road and South Ocean Boulevard to the traffic circle where Southern Boulevard and South Ocean Boulevard connect.
“Residents and service providers in the closure area will be granted access with proper identification.
“The U.S. Secret Service has made this decision, neither Town Officials nor the Town Council.
“The Town is working closely with the U.S. Secret Service to minimize the impacts of this road closure. The Town plans to pursue legal options to ensure that the road remains open in the absence of the protected person(s) in residence.”
Newsweek has contacted the Secret Service and Palm Beach officials for comment via email outside of standard working hours.
A letter, signed by Town Attorney Joanne O’Connor, sent to Secret Service chief counsel Thomas F. Huse, requested the service “provide the legal authority authorizing it to implement the road closure for the specified duration and even when protectee(s) are not in residence in the Town,” according to USA Today.
The roadblock follows a July 13 assassination attempt against Trump at a Pennsylvania rally.
The shooter, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks narrowly missed Trump, but Corey Comperatore was killed as he shielded his family from the gunfire.
Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle resigned earlier this week in the wake of the agency’s failure to prevent the incident and an intense grilling by lawmakers.
Trump purchased Mar-a-Lago in 1985. The historic estate was originally built by cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post in the 1920s.
It spans 126 rooms and covers 62,500 square feet, situated on 17 acres of land. Trump transformed it into a luxury resort and private club, opening it to members in 1994.
Throughout his presidency, Trump used Mar-a-Lago as his presidential retreat, earning it the nickname “Winter White House.”
The estate hosted numerous international leaders, including Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
It is hardly the first time the estate has been at the center of a legal issue.
Trump previously filed a lawsuit against Palm Beach County over flight paths affecting the property. He also engaged in litigation over a zoning dispute involving a large American flag Trump erected on the property.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
