PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Roughly 90 minutes before taking off President Trump left Palm Beach County on Sunday, former Marine Brandon Magnan drove up to roadblocks and identification checkpoints.
It was another security break for President Trump.
A former Marine was able to get through two checkpoints at Atlantic Aviation posing as an officer. The breach came just before Air Force One took off from Palm Beach International Airport on Sunday.
When the president is in town there's a protective barrier set around Atlantic Aviation. The boundary is set up to secure the building and grounds.
"Anytime you have a security breach of a presidential area it's a big deal," former Secret Service agent Timothy Miller said.
Miller said it's a real big deal for someone to do it as a police impersonator.
"The most concerning thing to me at this point is that he was able to breach certain levels of security. Which means that the compromise should cause everyone involved to go how did this happen," Miller said.
According to court documents, roughly 90 minutes before taking off former Marine Brandon Magnan drove up to roadblocks and identification checkpoints guarded by uniformed sheriff's deputies Palm Beach County. He identified himself as HMX-1. The unit is composed of both Marine Corps pilots and military police assigned to the presidential Helicopter. Records show Magnan present a credential that identified him as a law enforcement officer of the United States Marine Corp.
"It suggests somebody was very calculated. It suggests somebody had an operational plan and the big concern is why?" Miller said.
Magnan was able to get through two checkpoints and onto Atlantic Aviation grounds. Documents show a sheriff's deputy noticed he wasn't in uniform which is standard protocol. Than deputy called the HMX-1 unit and it was then determined Mangan's credentials were fake.
"The fact that he would produce an ID is concerning. Because that again goes to the calculated focus. He was trying to get into an area where he shouldn't have been," Miller said.
Magnan was charged with impersonating a government officer and released on bond. In 2010 he was dishonorably discharged for serious offenses.
Miller says, the secret service will determine the level of danger the danger the president and his aircraft were in. They will find out what was the motivation for all of this and whether Magnan was working with others.
