Law enforcement tasked with protecting President Donald Trump mistakenly talked tactics with a random cameraman, the BBC revealed Sunday.
BBC News reporter Enda McClafferty discussed the incident during a recent on-air interview about Trump's ongoing trip to Ireland, where the president has already spurred an international uproar, mass protests and questions about his cognitive health.
"Yesterday two gardaí flagged down our camera man and mistook him for an undercover Garda officer," he said, "and started to talk tactics to him!"
The host of BBC's Sunday Politics began to chuckle as McClafferty explained it was the cameraman who told the gardaí he was actually a journalist.
Trump's security has caused a large headache for Ireland law enforcement. Rank-and-file gardaí have spent recent weeks fuming after being told to foot the bill for their own accommodation, the Irish Mirror reported this week.
Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly designated the visit an "extraordinary event" over the summer due to the scale of the policing operation, dubbed Operation Far Sunrise, spanning Dublin, Shannon and Trump's golf resort in Doonbeg, County Clare.
“There’s a use-and-abuse policy from management and they’re expecting lads to just show up,” one source told the Mirror.
It appears that despite the grumbles, the lads did show up.
"We have more gardaí than we have spectators at the golf," said McClafferty. "Around every bog corner, if you like, there's a squad car."
McClafferty then took a moment to rib Trump about another security vehicle.
"Donald Trump has brought with him an armor-plated golf cart," said McClafferty.
"I do believe it," Enda," host Mark Carruthers replied. "Thanks very much, indeed."