Secret Service agent robbed at gunpoint during Biden's CA swing
A member of the U.S. Secret Service was robbed at gunpoint Saturday night in California during President Joe Biden's high-profile fundraising swing. Scripps News reported Monday that officers from the Tustin Police Department responded to a call and found that the victim was a member of the Secret Service who had fired off his own gun during the robbery.
It is unclear if the perpetrator was injured and by Monday afternoon the Tustin, California Police Department said it was still investigating the incident. Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi confirmed to Scripps that a member of the U.S. Secret Service was the victim in the robbery. 'The employee discharged their service weapon during the incident but unknown if the assailants were struck,' Guglielmi said. 'We are thankful that the employee did not sustain any injuries,' he added.
Some of the Secret Service official's belongings have since been found. The robber escaped in a silver Infiniti, with Tustin police including a photograph of the vehicle, while calling on members of the public to provide tips.
It wasn't immediately clear if the Secret Service employee had been tasked with protecting Biden on the Los Angeles trip. Biden returned to his hotel Saturday shortly before 9 p.m. Tustin is located in nearby Orange County, California - and police responded to the call at 9:36 p.m.
Biden flew directly from the G7 in Italy to appear at the California fundraiser alongside movie stars George Clooney and Julia Roberts, comedian Jimmy Kimmel and former President Barack Obama Saturday night. He returned to Washington Sunday night. In what's good news for the Biden campaign, the fundraiser raised more than $30 million for the Democrat in his reelection campaign against former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee.
However on Monday, there were questions about a viral video that appeared to show the 81-year-old president freezing onstage - guided off by Obama. During Monday's press briefing, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre complained about several recent viral videos that conservatives have hyped online including the one of Biden departing the California fundraiser.
She dubbed them 'cheap fakes.' 'They are done in bad faith,' she chided. 'Let's not forget: President Obama, President Biden have a relationship. They are friends. They're like family. And I think that's what you saw,' she said,' she said to a question posed by DailyMail.com.
Jean-Pierre (Pictured) also referenced a statement from the office of former president. 'Obama's office put out a statement. So I would refer you to that statement about what was being accused in those by others. And he said this did not happen in the sense of what people were saying, saying they were seeing, right? Or what was being falsely reported that they were seeing,' the press secretary continued.
The White House confirmed she was referencing a four-word post by Obama spokesman Eric Shultz who said: 'this did not happen. You saw the president put his hand behind the on the back of President Biden and and they walked off the stage. After after taking questions. Or at an event taking questions from Jimmy Kimmel. That is that is what you saw,' Jean-Pierre said.
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