Nothing to see here: Donald Trump dismisses Mar-a-Lago security breach as a ‘fluke’
- Zhang Yujing had a thumb drive loaded with malware, four phones, a laptop, an external hard drive and two Chinese passports when detained
- Democrats call on the FBI to investigate how much of a national security risk the resort poses, since the president frequently spends his weekends there
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday shrugged off a security breach at his Florida resort last weekend – when a woman gained access after allegedly lying to Secret Service agents – as a “fluke”.
Trump’s comment followed calls from senior congressional Democrats for the FBI to review security risks at the Mar-a-Lago resort, the private club in Palm Beach on the south Florida coast where the president frequently spends his weekends.
On Saturday, Zhang Yujing, a Chinese national, entered the property after telling a Secret Service agent she was there to use the pool, then later told Mar-a-Lago staff she was there to attend a “United Nations Friendship Event”, according to a criminal complaint filed in US federal court.
After confirming that no such event was on the resort’s daily schedule, a member of the reception staff alerted Secret Service agents, who placed Zhang under arrest. She was charged on Monday with making false statements to a federal officer and entering a restricted area.
“I think that was just a fluke situation, and I think that the person sitting at the front desk did a very good job, to be honest with you,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Wednesday.