A Secret Service agent assigned to Vice President JD Vances protective detail has been placed on administrative leave amid suspicions the agent leaked internal grievances to the press.
According to Mediaite, the agent is now under formal review, a source familiar with the matter told CNN, while another source said the administration believes the individual was a key source for a July 15 MS NOW piece headlined Vances security detail fed up with hastily arranged personal and family travel requests. That report painted a picture of mounting frustration inside the protective team, with agents complaining about what they viewed as questionable demands on government resources.
MS NOW reported: On Thursday last week, Secret Service agents groused among themselves as they prepared to deliver another perk to Vice President JD Vances family: join a military helicopter crew to fly his young son to his golf lesson. The outlet added that The planned trip on Marine Two, the call-sign for the U.S. Marine Corps helicopter that carries the vice president, was canceled at the last minute due to severe thunderstorms and high winds in the Washington, D.C., area that day, according to two people with knowledge of the flight plans.
The story further stated, Vance planned to travel with his son on the flight to Joint Base Andrews which includes a secure, world-class golf center according to two other administration officials with knowledge of his schedule. It continued, Agents have shared concerns internally about Vance and his office pressing them for trips and assignments that some agents consider an inappropriate or even unprecedented use of government resources compared to prior vice presidents, they said.
The CNN account said the investigation into the suspected leaker is being handled by the Secret Services internal affairs division, which is examining whether the agent violated agency rules or federal law. The network reported it is unclear if any possible administrative punishment or criminal charges could be forthcoming.
CNN also observed that the Trump administration has intensified efforts to curb unauthorized disclosures to the media, a longstanding concern for conservatives who see leaks as an attempt to undermine elected leadership rather than hold it accountable. That broader crackdown has now extended beyond the Vance detail, raising fresh questions about press freedom and the security states reach.
This month, the Department of Justice subpoenaed four journalists who reported on security issues with the new Air Force One, which President Donald Trump accepted as a gift from the Qatari royal family. The DOJ is also seeking the journalists phone records, a move likely to alarm civil libertarians even as many on the right argue that national security and the integrity of classified information must not be sacrificed to protect anonymous leakers.
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