The man federal law enforcement say shot at the White House had come from the Occupy D.C. rally where he spent time with protesters.

Authorities suspect Ortega-Hernandez had been in the area for weeks, coming back and forth to the Washington Mall. Before the shooting, he was detained by local police at an abandoned house. U.S. Park police say Ortega may have spent time with Occupy D.C. protesters.

And Talking Points Memo talked to protesters who confirmed the Secret Service has conducted searches at the rally:

Protestor Ralph Wittenberg told TPM on Tuesday evening that authorities came through “searching for a so-called terrorist who shot at the White House, with no warrant, they went into everybody’s tents.”

A person handling media requests for Occupy DC confirmed the searches and said they were led by the Secret Service. The agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

First of all, “so-called”. I get “alleged”. But “so-called” suggest the man not only has been proven guilty but you don’t think it would be an act of terror even if he is found guilty. But maybe I’m reading too much into comments from these morons.

Second, even if the Secret Service lacked probable cause (which it doesn’t) there’s always the small detail that you’re living on federal land around the White House. The Secret Service has jurisdiction over the area — which, again, is federal land.

I’ll leave you with this from Politico‘s Ben Smith: “Nobody anywhere near the Tea Party ever took a shot at the White House.”