Being assigned to help protect the Vice President of the United States should be an honor. They may not be the President, but they’re still next in line to hold the most powerful position in the world. That honor doesn’t just apply to the Secret Service agents in the VP’s security, either, since they often ask local law enforcement to help out with things like motorcade security. But twice recently, Vice President JD Vance‘s motorcade has run into some weird but dangerous situations that have left us with several questions — namely, what the heck is going on with JD Vance’s motorcade?
The Washington Post reports that on Friday night, a Maryville, Tennessee, police officer escorting Vance’s motorcade to a Republican National Committee fundraiser was involved in a crash with a Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper. Details on the crash are still scarce, but we do know the officer was riding a motorcycle at the time of the crash. Initially, authorities chose not to disclose the officer’s name or condition, but Tennessee’s 6News now reports the officer in question is Maryville Police Officer FTO Justin Brown. They also report that the crash left Brown in critical condition, although he is reportedly “making small improvements.”
Maryville Police Chief Tony Crisp also told reporters that Brown is dealing with significant injuries, and doctors don’t expect him to be released any time soon. According to Crisp, “His progress is expected to be gradual and he will remain hospitalized for an extended period of time, but we are grateful for the improvement we have seen since Friday.” It still isn’t clear what led to the state trooper hitting Brown’s motorcycle, but thankfully, emergency responders in an ambulance traveling with the motorcade were able to respond to the crash quickly and administer aid.
A weird coincidence
Friday night’s crash also comes less than a month after Vance’s motorcade was involved in a separate incident, this time in California. Vance was in California to watch the military fire live munitions over California’s Interstate 5, an objectively dumb idea that was destined to end badly, even if no one expected the Vice President’s motorcade would be affected. When a 155-millimeter artillery shell exploded prematurely, though, it rained shrapnel down on the ground below it, peppering multiple cars with pieces of metal that one officer told the BBC “sounded like pebbles were raining down on his patrol motorcycle.”
Now, there’s no reason to assume the two incidents are connected in any way, and there’s even less evidence to support the idea that someone may have been targeting Vance. That said, it’s still a little concerning that something has happened to the Vice President’s security detail twice in less than a month. You also can’t really call it a pattern until something happens for a third time, so for now, it’s probably more of a coincidence than anything else. But is it a sign that there may be something going on behind the scenes with the Secret Service?Â
They did have that issue where the Beast’s trunk popped open recently, which they’re blaming on mechanical failure. But shouldn’t the President’s limo be checked out regularly enough that mechanical failure isn’t an issue? There’s probably nothing to it, and it’s all just a series of coincidences, but it’s still odd, right? I certainly don’t remember this many incidents during the Biden administration. Then again, the Biden administration also didn’t insist on firing live munitions over a highway, so at least part of this is self-inflicted. Still, I’m left with the original question — what the heck is going on with JD Vance’s motorcade?
