The United States Secret Service (USSS) is once again in the spotlight, this time for allegations of sexual assault by an agent against a member of Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign team.
This incident is the latest in a series of scandals that have beset the agency, raising questions about its conduct and effectiveness.
According to the Daily Mail, the alleged assault occurred in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where Harris' team was planning an event that was eventually cancelled. The incident reportedly took place at a local restaurant where the team was dining. This news comes on the same day a Senate report was released, revealing a series of USSS failures that allowed would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks to land a shot in former President Donald Trump's right ear.
The USSS has been under intense scrutiny following two assassination attempts against Trump within a two-month period. The agency's conduct and operational effectiveness have been called into question, with many wondering how such lapses could occur.
Four sources within the Secret Service community revealed details of the alleged assault to Real Clear Politics. They claimed that witnesses were present during the inappropriate interaction. The accused agent was summoned to the USSS headquarters in Washington, D.C., and ordered to meet with investigators from the Inspections Division.
The incident reportedly escalated when a group returned to a Harris' aide's hotel room, where the accused agent allegedly groped and forced himself onto a female staffer. One source claimed that the agent, heavily intoxicated, was ejected from the hotel room by his colleagues. He was later found unconscious in the hallway, with photographs taken of him in this state.
In response to these allegations, a Secret Service spokesman stated, "The U.S. Secret Service Office of Professional Responsibility is investigating a misconduct allegation involving an employee. The Secret Service holds its personnel to the highest standards. The employee has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation."
The Senate report released this week also shed light on the USSS's failures that led to the first assassination attempt against Trump. The report revealed that the agency knew for 27 minutes that Crooks was a suspicious individual. Furthermore, technical issues grounded Secret Service drones during a July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The agent responsible for the drone operations had only three months of experience with the equipment.
The report concluded that the failures leading up to the rally were "foreseeable, preventable, and directly related to the events resulting in the assassination attempt that day." The shooter, a 20-year-old now deceased, managed to hit Trump in his ear, kill one rally attendee, and critically injure two others before a counter sniper neutralized him.
The report also found that despite additional resources, the Secret Service engaged in questionable actions leading to security failures at the rally. For instance, the USSS denied specific on-the-ground requests for additional drone capabilities and a Counter Assault Team liaison. It was also revealed that the USSS was notified two minutes before Crooks fired shots about an individual on the roof of the building.
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee's interim report found multiple failures on almost every level, including planning, communications, security, and allocation of resources. Michigan Sen. Gary Peters, the Democratic chairman of the Homeland panel, stated, "The consequences of those failures were dire."
The report recommended that the Secret Service better define roles and responsibilities before any protective event, overhaul its communications operations at protective events, and improve intelligence sharing. It also suggested that Congress evaluate whether more resources are needed. However, Democrats and Republicans have disagreed on whether to give the Secret Service more money in the wake of its failures.
Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, the top Republican on the Homeland panel's investigations subcommittee, argued, "This is a management problem plain and simple." As the Secret Service grapples with these allegations and operational failures, it is clear that a thorough review and potential overhaul of the agency's practices and protocols are needed to restore public trust and ensure the safety of those it is tasked with protecting.
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