<div id="attachment_5721750" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-5721750" class="size-full wp-image-5721750" src="https://am14.mediaite.com/med/cnt/uploads/2026/04/Untitled-design-2026-04-28T093013-888.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1080" srcset="https://am13.mediaite.com/med/cnt/uploads/2026/04/Untitled-design-2026-04-28T093013-888.jpg 1920w, https://am13.mediaite.com/med/cnt/uploads/2026/04/Untitled-design-2026-04-28T093013-888-300x169.jpg 300w, https://am13.mediaite.com/med/cnt/uploads/2026/04/Untitled-design-2026-04-28T093013-888-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https://am13.mediaite.com/med/cnt/uploads/2026/04/Untitled-design-2026-04-28T093013-888-768x432.jpg 768w, https://am13.mediaite.com/med/cnt/uploads/2026/04/Untitled-design-2026-04-28T093013-888-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://am13.mediaite.com/med/cnt/uploads/2026/04/Untitled-design-2026-04-28T093013-888-288x162.jpg 288w, https://am13.mediaite.com/med/cnt/uploads/2026/04/Untitled-design-2026-04-28T093013-888-432x243.jpg 432w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px"/><p id="caption-attachment-5721750" class="wp-caption-text">LEFT: Chuck Todd (Screenshot) RIGHT: Donald Trump (Photo by Andrew Leyden/NurPhoto via AP)</p></div>CBS News’ chief legal correspondent Jan Crawford strongly criticized former Meet the Press host Chuck Todd on Monday evening concerning his comments regarding the attempted assault on President Donald Trump and his administration’s senior staff at Saturday’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
In a recent discussion with Chris Cillizza, Todd stated, “I will no longer attend any events where Trump is present. I do not feel secure. Wherever Donald Trump may be—”
Cillizza interjected, “Disorder is inherent with his presence.”
Todd elaborated, “Indeed, chaos accompanies him. Your safety diminishes, correct? Choosing to enter his sphere means your security is compromised. He simply doesn’t prioritize your well-being; he won’t safeguard you within his influence, as his own protection is paramount. He’s more inclined to betray you. You’re more prone to become a target for Iranian assassins, like John Bolton or Mike Pompeo, and he’ll withdraw any federal backing, won’t he?” Todd continued, “Consider when individuals, motivated by Donald Trump’s rhetoric and actions, targeted myself and numerous other journalists; I received no communication from Donald Trump. That’s right. He shows no concern when violence is perpetrated in his name. His only concern is when violence is directed at him, and he fails to acknowledge his role in fostering the current global climate.”
Crawford expressed strong disagreement with this viewpoint.
“This assessment is not merely incorrect, but foolish,” she retorted in a quote-tweet referencing the segment Cillizza had shared. “I was literally discussing this very topic with one of my daughters earlier today. She highlighted that anyone can enter a wedding, concert, or shopping center and initiate a shooting. We were, in fact, in a secure environment at the WHCD. We were inside a fully protected ballroom, safeguarded by multiple echelons of Secret Service personnel.”
She further noted, “The majority of individuals lack such protection against attackers suffering from mental health issues.”
The assault on Saturday marked the third significant attempt on Trump’s life since July 2024. In a publicly accessible declaration, the individual identified as the assailant at the correspondents’ dinner articulated:
As I articulate my intent, I will also outline my anticipated engagement protocols (likely presented poorly, but I lack military training, so that’s regrettable).
Government officials (excluding Mr. Patel) are designated targets, ranked by seniority from highest to lowest.
Secret Service personnel are to be targeted only when essential, with efforts made to incapacitate them non-lethally if feasible (meaning, I trust they are wearing body armor, as a shotgun blast to the torso is devastating otherwise).
Hotel Security is not to be targeted under any circumstances, unless they initiate gunfire.
Capitol Police are to be treated with the same rules as Hotel Security.
The National Guard falls under the same guidelines as Hotel Security.
Hotel staff are not to be targeted whatsoever.
Attendees are unequivocally not targets.
To reduce potential casualties, I will opt for buckshot instead of slugs (which have less wall penetration).
I would nonetheless traverse through the majority present to reach the intended targets if it became absolutely critical (justified by the belief that most individuals *chose* to be present for an address by an alleged pedophile, rapist, and traitor, thereby making them complicit); however, I sincerely hope this scenario does not materialize.
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