The person was contracted to drive a White House van carrying members of the press. The gun was found inside a bag during a search done by the Secret Service in a parking lot outside the Mar-a-Lago club grounds in Florida.
“The individual was found to be in lawful possession of a prohibited item (firearm) outside the secure area at a Secret Service security screening checkpoint,” the Secret Service wrote in a statement. “At no time was any Secret Service protectee in danger or impacted. All Secret Service security measures worked.”
The driver was detained briefly while the Secret Service and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s office investigated the incident.
The discovery of the weapon took place one hour before the motorcade was scheduled to depart. The Secret Service removed all drivers afterward. A White House staffer drove the press van instead.
According to Fox News, the driver told the Secret Service that the firearm was left in the personal vehicle prior to the assignment and forgot to remove it.
The trouble with the motorcade didn’t stop there.
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