The Secret Service announced on July 23 that it has placed a member of Vice President JD Vance’s security detail on administrative leave and confirmed that that person is being investigated for allegedly leaking 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,” Anthony Guglielmi, the Secret Service’s chief of communications, said in an emailed statement to The Epoch Times on July 23.
The agency said it would not provide further details related to the incident, but stressed that “one principle is unequivocal: any conduct that potentially threatens the safety of a protectee will not be tolerated.” The Secret Service did not identify the agent or what criminal charges the individual may face.
Earlier on July 23, media reported on the investigation into the leaks. A week earlier, news outlet MS NOW published a story about alleged frustrations among Secret Service agents on Vance’s detail, citing anonymous sources.
Vance’s office last week responded to claims published in the story by telling media that “the Vances are grateful to the men and women of the U.S. Secret Service who serve [their] country with distinction.”
“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 statement reads.
A Secret Service spokesperson said in a statement to MS NOW that agents “understand the commitment required: long hours, frequent travel, and the need for constant flexibility” when they sign up for the job.
The investigation comes as Secret Service Director Sean Curran said at an event on July 22 that the security environment his agency is currently facing is challenging.
“I think just generally speaking, we are in a heightened level … of a threat environment right now,” Curran said, noting that “it’s no secret.”
“There are things happening around the globe … that are always going to impact … how we move. But we’re always going to look at the threat environment and where we’re going and just what’s happening at the moment.”
