Thirty-nine Secret Service agents signed a petition calling on Congress to investigate whether diversity, equity, and inclusion policies are putting America at risk, the Tampa Free Press reported. The petition followed a bizarre incident involving a Secret Service agent assigned to Vice President Kamala Harris.
Bloomberg White House correspondent Jennifer Jacobs broke the news of the petition in a post on X, formerly Twitter, Thursday. Although it was not explicitly labeled as DEI, Jacobs claimed the petition "flags concerns" about employment practices at the agency.
"There's a petition circulating inside the US Secret Service that flags concerns about 'a number of recent Secret Service incidents indicative of inadequate training,' a double standard in disciplinary actions, and a vulnerability 'to potential insider threats' that could pose a risk to US nat sec," she wrote. "Aim is to call for a congressional investigation, petition says," she later added.
News: There's a petition circulating inside the US Secret Service that flags concerns about "a number of recent Secret Service incidents indicative of inadequate training," a double standard in disciplinary actions, and a vulnerability "to potential insider threats" that could…
— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) May 9, 2024
Jacobs' bombshell comes on the heels of a troubling incident involving Harris's staff. A news release from the U.S. Secret Service on April 22 said that an agent assigned to Harris "began displaying behavior their colleagues found distressing" before coming to blows with a supervising agent, CBS News reported.
"The agent was removed from their assignment while medical personnel were summoned," the statement added. Other sources present said the agent was muttering incoherently before engaging in a physical fight with a superior at the Joint Base Andrews.
The agent who was the aggressor was immediately subdued and detained by fellow agents. An ambulance took the agent to an area hospital where the person was admitted, though the cause of the apparent breakdown is unknown.
Although the agents were assigned to protect Harris, the vice president was at the Naval Observatory at the time. The Secret Service insists the altercation had "no impact on her departure from Joint Base Andrews."
This incident shows a lack of restraint and professionalism on the part of the agent. This is disturbing, considering the close proximity to America's top leadership and the unique role the Secret Service occupies.
Despite the incident and subsequent petition, Secret Service Chief of Communications Anthony Guglielmi has downplayed it all. "It's evident that this anonymous petitioner does not embody the U.S. Secret Service's values of service over self," Guglielmi said in a statement, Fox News reported.
"Our agency is comprised of talented professionals from various walks of life who are dedicated to safeguarding the continuity of the presidency and the U.S. financial system. Our strength comes from our diversity, in the knowledge, skills, experience, and perspective each employee brings," he continued.
"Our people are exceptional, and we are incredibly proud to call them members of the U.S. Secret Service," Guglielmi claimed. However, the facts speak for themselves.
To see so many of these elite professionals literally put their names on the line over this issue speaks volumes. Moreover, the Biden administration has expressed a commitment to DEI that typically values intersectionality over actual merit.
The Secret Service is supposed to protect America's leaders. If they can't control their own emotions, then there's little hope that they will take a bullet for the people they're protecting should the need arise, and that puts national security and American lives at risk.
