NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A U.S. Secret Service (USSS) agent assigned to Vice President JD Vance’s security detail is being investigated over allegations of leaking sensitive information.
“A member of the Vice Presidential Protective Division is the subject of an administrative investigation, and potential criminal inquiry, involving allegations of compromising operational and information security,” Secret Service Chief of Communications Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement to Fox News.
The agency would not comment on the specifics of the case, Guglielmi said, but noted that “any conduct that potentially threatens the safety of a protectee will not be tolerated.”
TRUMP SAYS HE’S IRAN’S ‘NO. 1’ TARGET AS RENEWED CONFLICT RAISES ASSASSINATION FEARS
The probe came a week after an MS Now report detailed alleged frustrations within Vance’s security detail over last-minute personal and family travel requests.
One day after the story was published, MS Now reported Vance’s office canceled a helicopter flight scheduled for his son’s golf lesson. The Trump administration said the proposed use of Marine Two — the call sign for the helicopter carrying the vice president — was for operational reasons.
“Compared to a motorcade, it drastically decreased the burden on local law enforcement and eliminated the inconvenience of road closures and disruptions to motorists along the long driving route,” the administration wrote in a statement to Fox News.
USHA VANCE MOCKS NEW YORK TIMES FOR DRAWING ‘POLITICAL SIGNIFICANCE’ FROM HER PREGNANCY FASHION
The MS Now report noted that current and former Secret Service agents pointed out that prior vice presidents “eschewed using such expensive government perks for the convenience of their children’s schedule.”
Agents said the “off-the-record” (OTR) trips sometimes force them to cancel personal plans and require them to construct security plans in a hurry.
“The detail is tired of them not giving notice on things and making everything an OTR,” a person familiar with the detail’s frustration told the news outlet. “[Vance] thinks he can still move around like a U.S. senator.”
A Vance spokesperson told Fox News the family is grateful to the Secret Service.
IRAN-BACKED PROXIES SABOTAGING LEBANON PEACE AS JD VANCE LEADS US DELEGATION TO SWITZERLAND, HERZOG SAYS
“While protecting a vice president with a large policy portfolio and a young and growing family presents a unique challenge, agents of the Secret Service do so with excellence every day,” the spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, USSS Deputy Director Matthew Quinn said that all special agents understand the commitment required to serve on a protective detail.
“Our agents work tirelessly to ensure protectees’ safety and security, while also preserving normalcy to the extent possible,” Quinn told Fox News. “We are committed to supporting our personnel, which requires around-the-clock dedication and discipline. This is a job that requires absolute dedication and discipline. There is no room for compromise.”
The frustration among agents reportedly led some to create custom coins and stickers mocking the frequency of Vance’s last-minute travel, referencing the vice president’s Secret Service code name, “Bobcat.”
Some coins reportedly read, “Bobcat OTR Survivors Club.”
The Trump administration acknowledged that last-minute trips can arise unexpectedly.
“Most past presidents and vice presidents have not had young children, and therefore the detail has not been presented with this nature of protective mandate,” the administration told Fox News.
“The Vice President is also a very active and involved Vice President, more so than recent officeholders,” the statement continued. “His unprecedented diplomatic role, for example, while critically important, has added new demands for a detail used to operating with lead times that are impossible in high-stakes diplomacy.”
Read the full article here
