Security’s at its tightest
CLEVELAND — July 1776. America’s revolution. July 2016. America’s evolution? The city’s an armed camp. Food’s getting officially guarded and inspected. One thousand extra in-case jail cells plus five 24-hour staffed courts have been readied.
Three helicopters overhead — 400 cops on bicycles. For psychological purpose, officers are detailed in clusters. There are 3,000 imported extra police. California two-man state patrol vehicle at one corner. Texas posse on horseback at another.
Marshalls on all in and out flights, including one that carried Marla Maples to see her Trump daughter, Tiffany, onstage. It was delayed. Major delayed. Explained the airline: “Because our pilots haven’t had their required 10 hours yet, we’ll be four hours late taking off.”
Private planes get detoured. Rudy Giuliani, with son Andrew, was first offloaded in Akron, Ohio. He says: “They knew me. They recognized who I was. They said I’m great ... and they love me ... and they’re big fans. Then: ‘Remove your jacket ... remove shoes ... place all belongings on table ... put your hands out.’
“They handed off my suitcase, body-searched me, took my signature, my photo, and searched the aircraft.” Over a small Scotch and big cigar in his private party, he said: “Donald wrote a thank you [note] saying my speech about him — which took five days to write and I’ve recorded — was great. “He was maybe a little annoyed that it lasted too long. Offstage with parents who’d lost children in today’s violence, I suddenly became overcome and adlibbed a little about no black America or white America, there’s only one America.”