Gaps in proper administrative and practical duties in the Secret Service found.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently released a report, finding that the U.S. Secret Service has failed to update proper protection policies. Procedural gaps included emergency situations, site security, and motorcades. The office highlighted that over a third of updates required within four years had not been made, and no documentation was provided for the failure to update procedures. Security for international visits by the vice president has also been untouched for more than two decades, including visits to U.S. soil by foreign officials.
The GAO stated, “Secret Service policy does not require that personnel document their rationale when they determine an incident does not warrant a protection policy update. However, Secret Service officials told GAO that doing so would be important because it shows an incident was fully reviewed. In the absence of this information, it is sometimes unclear why the Secret Service maintained the status quo.”
GAO highlighted other issues, such as the threat of drones used near nationally protected individuals, such as Former President Barack Obama, former President Biden, and Senator Bernie Sanders. President Trump faced assassination attempts as both the sitting president and as a candidate, which called into question the lack of attention to these matters by his own security teams.
Spokesperson for the Secret Service Nate Herring said, “Since 2024, the U.S. Secret Service has implemented significant institutional reforms and policy revisions in response to attacks and threats of violence against Secret Service protectees,” he said, adding that the agency “concurs” with the GAO’s recommendations.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For Director Curran and Secret Service officials as they review the report from GAO and consider next steps in updating protection procedures.
- For Acting Comptroller General Brown and GAO officials as they assess the policies of government agencies, such as the Secret Service, and provide recommendations for updates.
Sources: News 4 Jax, Politico, GAO.gov
