A member of JD Vance’s protective detail has been removed pending an investigation into allegations of compromising the vice president’s security, a Secret Service spokesman said Thursday.
The development was first reported by CNN, citing sources familiar with the matter who told the outlet that the agent was suspected of leaking information used in an MS NOW report detailing alleged Secret Service complaints about Vance’s travel habits.
Confirming the agent’s removal, Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement shared with NBC News: “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.”
“While we will not comment on the specifics of this matter, one principle is unequivocal: any conduct that potentially threatens the safety of a protectee will not be tolerated,” Guglielmi added.
Vance’s office declined to comment to NBC News about the agent’s removal.
Secret Service agents complained among themselves about Vance’s plan for them to join him on Marine Two as he flew with his son to the child’s golf lesson at nearby Joint Base Andrews, a flight canceled at the last-minute because of severe weather, MS NOW reported, citing two people with knowledge of the flight plans, two administration officials with knowledge of his schedule, and a person familiar with the agents’ frustration.
Secret Service agents have also shared concerns internally about being asked to embark on trips and assignments that some believed were inappropriate for government resources, several of those sources told the news outlet.
NBC News has not independently confirmed the details in the MS NOW or CNN reports on the alleged Secret Service members’ complaints or the details surrounding the agent’s removal from Vance’s security detail.
An administration official said Vance’s travel duties can often shift unexpectedly because of important meetings and events, which override previous plans, causing strain on the Secret Service. The official also noted that unlike recent vice presidents, Vance has young children, and he tries to spend as much time with them as he can, presenting his Secret Service with a new aspect of their protective mandate.
Separately, the official said the Marine Two helicopter trip from the vice president’s official residence to Joint Base Andrews is the most common route for the vice president’s helicopter and requires a smaller pull on local law enforcement and other resources than a motorcade.
The Trump administration has taken a hard-line position against leaks to journalists, most recently issuing subpoenas to New York Times reporters who covered security concerns related to the new Air Force One.
On Thursday, a judge will hold a hearing on the Times’ challenge to the subpoenas. The Justice Department has said that people “leaking classified information” are the target of the investigation, not the reporters.
Last month, the Trump administration tried to compel four journalists to testify before a federal grand jury, but reversed after The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post pushed back, NBC News reported.
