(Congress Report) – Officials within the Secret Service are set to deliver a briefing to Congress in order to address problems regarding an agent assigned to Vice President Kamala Harris’ protective detail who ended up attacking her own supervisor. The briefing is scheduled for June 21st and is in response to a letter sent from House Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer, a Republican hailing from Kentucky.
“In response to the letter received from Chairman James Comer, the U.S. Secret Service will comply with the House Oversight Committee’s request for a briefing on the topics outlined in the publicly available letter dated May 30, 2024,” a Secret Service spokesperson remarked in comments delivered to Fox News.
Comer had written the letter to Kimberly Cheatle, the Director of the U.S. Secret Service, who was appointed to her position by President Joe Biden, the piece revealed.
“It was recently reported that a Secret Service agent, tasked with protecting Vice President Kamala Harris, physically attacked her superior (and the commanding agent in charge) and other agents trying to subdue her while on duty at Joint Base Andrews and assigned to the Vice President’s protective detail,” Comer noted in the letter addressed to Cheatle.
“The Secret Service has confirmed in other media accounts the altercation occurred at about 9 a.m. on April 22 at Joint Base Andrews in Prince George’s County, Maryland. The agent, who was ultimately escorted away in handcuffs, has been removed from the vice president’s detail. The Secret Service has described the incident as a ‘medical matter,'” the Fox News article read.
A report from the Washington Examiner divulged that Secret Service Chief of Communications Anthony Guglielmi told the outlet, “At approximately 9 a.m. April 22, a U.S. Secret Service special agent supporting the Vice President’s departure from Joint Base Andrews began displaying behavior their colleagues found distressing. The agent was removed from their assignment while medical personnel were summoned. The Vice President was at the Naval Observatory when this incident occurred and there was no impact on her departure from Joint Base Andrews. The U.S. Secret Service takes the safety and health of our employees very seriously. As this was a medical matter, we will not disclose any further details.”
“All Secret Service agents are armed while on domestic protective duty. But as with their Diplomatic Security Service counterparts, agents assigned to protective details endure heavy travel burdens, often working long hours away from home. The psychological health of armed agents serving in very close proximity to high-ranking government officials and foreign heads of state is thus a high-priority concern for the Secret Service,” the WE said.
A petition being circulated indicates there might have been several incidents of this nature by personnel within the Secret Service who have been looking to get a congressional investigation started. The agents stated there are problems with inadequate training and a double standard when it comes to disciplinary action being administered to offenders.
“This incident raised concerns within the agency about the hiring and screening process for this agent: specifically, whether previous incidents in her work history were overlooked during the hiring process as years of staff shortages had led the agency to lower once stricter standards as part of a diversity, equity and inclusion effort,” Comer’s letter to Cheatle goes on to say.
Comer then asked Cheatle to hold a briefing for committee staff on or before June 13th, the briefing featuring the Secret Service will come a few days after that.
For those who might not know, the Secret Service provides protection for more than just the president. They also guard the vice president, along with their spouses and children.
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