David Smith, the Guardian’s Washington bureau chief, never stopped reporting after the room was partially evacuated. Even in a roomful of intrepid reporters, Smith stands apart.
In a brief interview, Frank Luntz, a prominent political consultant and pollster, said: “I watched the security people use the ultimate in athleticism to get over tables, get over chairs, to get to the people that they were guarding.”
“The Secret Service was impressive, the congressional security was impressive. All the military and all the people responsible for keeping Americans safe, they were all in play in the last few minutes, and it’s both impressive and frightening that this should happen at the White House Correspondents’ dinner. I’ve never seen this before. More security people are in this room than in any other place in America. And they all leaped into action. They all understood what they were facing. And it makes me proud to be an American.”
