Charlie Kirk funeral poses major test to Secret Service: ‘It’s all hands on deck — but there’s multiple decks’

By Betsy Klein, CNN

(CNN) — President Donald Trump, high-level administration and Republican Party officials, and top political influencers are expected to converge in Arizona on Sunday to honor Charlie Kirk, the assassinated conservative activist.

But the memorial service, to be held at the massive State Farm Stadium in Glendale, just outside Phoenix, is going to pose an enormous test for law enforcement, particularly the US Secret Service, an agency already facing strain and enormous pressure.

And the reason for the gathering — a single, fatal bullet intended to silence a political figure — only underscores the risks.

It remains to be seen whether the memorial will be designated as a national special security event, which would provide additional resources from the federal government, working in tandem with state and local authorities.

“The Secret Service joins the nation in offering our deepest condolences to the Kirk family and friends,” Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement. “Joint security planning is underway for the memorial and funeral of Charlie Kirk and appropriate public safety related information will be provided as the process matures in the coming days.”

CNN has also reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment.

State Farm Stadium has a capacity of more than 63,000 people, and registration to attend the event is open to the public, requiring a name, email, cellphone and ZIP code.

The stadium — home to the Arizona Cardinals NFL team — has a retractable roof, meaning it can be enclosed or open air. The memorial, announced Saturday by Kirk’s organization, Turning Point USA, is coming together quickly, scrambling law enforcement to arrive on site, position magnetometers and other resources, survey the interior and exterior of the space, and prepare a fulsome plan to combat risk.

“This location may be seen as an attractive target for a hostile actor because of its visibility. The potential for it to be disrupted through a series of different threats, or even the threat of a threat, is something that law enforcement really has to focus in on and then put the mitigation protocols in place now,” said Jonathan Wackrow, a former US Secret Service agent and CNN contributor who specializes in risk management.

That will require efforts to mitigate the possibility of incidents like vehicles ramming into crowds and biological threats, the positioning of counter-snipers in and outside the arena, and the protection of high-profile figures such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has indicted he’s likely to attend.

Kirk’s murder is already forcing political figures and the people who protect them to make agonizing choices, balancing whether the public’s access to them is worth the risk.

Since Kirk’s assassination, several campaigns or political groups have already called off events out of an abundance of caution. And as the midterm elections approach, candidates will increasingly be forced to weigh their need to connect with constituents and potential voters against the reality of practicing politics at a time of accelerating threats, attempted attacks and slayings.

“There are a bunch of blinking red warning signs right now for individuals, whether you’re a member of Congress, you’re an elected official at the federal, state or local level, or, as with Charlie Kirk, a key political influencer, to be out there right now promoting your own political thoughts,” said Wackrow.

“Why? Because what we’re seeing is this massive shift in people normalizing targeted killing because of grievance,” he warned, pointing to Kirk’s killing, along with the recent assassination of Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband at their home, and the Manhattan murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

The event also comes at a unique moment of extreme demands on the Secret Service. Trump and the first lady are set to travel to the United Kingdom for a state visit this week ahead of the service, requiring resources abroad. And one of the biggest events the Secret Service supports each year, the United Nations General Assembly, will be underway early next week in New York City. The agency is responsible for protecting more than 100 visiting foreign dignitaries.

While the reputation of the US Secret Service is one of precision, vigilance and security, the reality has been more complicated — a high-stress, high-intensity workplace that has at times been wracked by management and logistical issues.

“This is going to push the Secret Service to its limit,” Wackrow said, “It’s all hands on deck — but there’s multiple decks.”

With finite resources, the agency could have to scale back its readiness in one area to secure another, Wackrow said.

“I am sure that the moment that this event is over on Sunday, there will be planes ready to bring everybody back to New York, but you potentially have a gap that’s exposed in New York,” he said. “And if you think that foreign entities aren’t watching that and looking for it, don’t be fooled. They are.”

CNN’s Michael Williams contributed to this report.

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