Mar-a-Lago shooting: Former FBI boss Dan Bongino hints Secret Service may not handle this probe

PALM BEACH, FLORIDA: After a fatal shooting at Mar-a-Lago early Sunday, February 22, former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) director Dan Bongino suggested the investigation would not be handled solely by the Secret Service.

Speaking after authorities confirmed a man in his 20s was shot and killed following what was described as an unauthorized breach of the resort’s secure perimeter, Bongino pointed to longstanding protocol governing incidents involving federal protective details.

Bongino says 'you wouldn’t want the Secret Service investigating themselves'

Bongino, while speaking to Fox News, said the transition of investigative authority is standard.

“The FBI has...a Memorandum of Understanding with the Secret Service, where the FBI will take over the crime scene in a scenario like this for obvious reasons,” he explained.

“If there were, and I’m not suggesting at all this is the case, but if there were some security lapses that required an investigation later, you wouldn’t want the Secret Service investigating themselves and vice versa.”

He added that the agencies generally coordinate in advance. Secret Service personnel secure and preserve the scene, and then the FBI assumes investigative control.

“We’ll generally take over the crime scene. There’s usually a smooth transition,” Bongino said. “From this point, we’ll all be sitting and watching as all the facts emerge.”

Dan Bongino says Mar-a-Lago 'extremely secure'

Bongino described the property as “an extremely secure area,” noting that significant technological upgrades had been made over the years, particularly on the north side.

“Breaching the property with a gas can and a shotgun, it appears the intent seems built in,” he said.

He also explained that deadly force requires “a fear of serious physical injury or death,” adding that early reporting about the presence of a weapon “seems to indicate the obvious reason why.”

Still, he raised questions about how the individual approached the perimeter.

“It’s not the area where you can just roam around,” Bongino said, noting that movement on certain sides of the property would immediately stand out. “That’s why I’m curious, was there a backpack involved? Was there some security footage that may have been following this guy sooner?”