Secret Service puts JD Vance agent on leave amid suspected leak probe
WASHINGTON, DC: A Secret Service agent assigned to Vice President JD Vance's protective detail has been placed on administrative leave as the agency investigates allegations that the employee leaked sensitive information about Vance's travel.
The inquiry has raised the possibility of a criminal investigation. Officials said the case centers on whether operational and information security was compromised, though the agency has not disclosed exactly what information was allegedly shared.
Secret Service opens leak investigation
The Secret Service confirmed that a member of the Vice Presidential Protective Division is under investigation, CNN reported on Thursday, July 23.
"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," Secret Service Chief of Communications Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement.
He added, "While we will not comment on the specifics of this matter, one principle is unequivocal: any conduct that undermines the trust and confidence between a protectee and their protective detail is fundamentally incompatible with our mission and will not be tolerated."
According to the report, the review is being handled by the agency's internal affairs component. The source told the outlet it remains unclear whether the employee could ultimately face administrative discipline or criminal charges.
A second source told the outlet that the officials have identified a person they believe was responsible for leaking information about Vance.
JD Vance travel report drew scrutiny
The employee is suspected of serving as a source for a recent MS NOW story that described frustration among agents assigned to Vance's security detail over what it called the burden of the vice president's personal travel schedule.
That report also included details about Vance's planned travel, including plans to fly with his son aboard a Marine Corps helicopter for a golf lesson. According to the report, those plans were later canceled.
The disclosure of those operational details quickly drew attention inside the government.
The first source told CNN that the Secret Service, FBI, and White House officials were angered after details involving Vance's movements appeared in the press, particularly information related to protective operations.
Leak crackdown expands under Trump administration
The investigation comes as the Trump administration has pledged to take a tougher approach toward unauthorized disclosures to the media.
Earlier this month, four reporters from the New York Times received subpoenas ordering them to testify before a federal grand jury as part of an investigation into reporting on security features aboard a new presidential aircraft gifted to President Donald Trump by Qatar.
While the Secret Service has not identified the information at the center of its inquiry, Guglielmi said any actions that compromise operational security or erode trust between a protectee and the agents assigned to safeguard them "will not be tolerated," the outlet reported.
