Three US Secret Service communications officials, including the agency's top spokesman Anthony Guglielmi, have been suspended and stripped of their security clearances as investigators examine how sensitive or classified information was allegedly provided to the media.
The officials were escorted from Secret Service HQ in Washington, DC, Monday and designated “do not admit,” according to sources cited by RealClearPolitics. One source said the FBI and CIA are involved in the investigation, though the Secret Service hasn't confirmed that.
The agency said Tuesday that three non-law enforcement employees had been placed on leave while its Office of Professional Responsibility conducts a review. The Secret Service did not identify the employees or disclose what prompted the investigation.
It also remains unclear whether the latest probe is connected to an earlier controversy involving President Donald Trump’s departure from Turkey. That reportedly involved intelligence indicating a supposed Iranian surface-to-air missile threat against Air Force One. An investigation was launched with Secret Service personnel being questioned after details emerged about Trump's decision not to leave Turkey aboard a Qatari-gifted aircraft. The FBI director, Kash Patel, was reportedly involved in launching that probe.
A Secret Service agent assigned to Vice President JD Vance's protective detail was also placed on leave in July over allegations that the agent leaked information about Vance's security and travel schedule.
The suspension comes as Guglielmi has already faced big backlash over his handling of several controversies involving the agency, including the failed 2024 assassination attempt against Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. After the Butler shooting, RealClearPolitics reported that SS resources had been diverted to then-first lady Jill Biden's campaign event in Pittsburgh. Guglielmi dismissed that report as “very wrong.”
An investigation led by Sen. Chuck Grassley later uncovered Secret Service emails showing that 12 personnel were assigned to the Biden event, compared with three for Trump's rally. Guglielmi also denied reports that Sean Curran had requested additional security resources before the Butler rally and was rebuffed.
“There’s an untrue assertion that a member of the President’s team requested additional security resources & that those were rebuffed,” he said. “This is absolutely false. In fact, we added protective resources & technology & capabilities as part of the increased campaign travel tempo.”
The officials were escorted from Secret Service HQ in Washington, DC, Monday and designated “do not admit,” according to sources cited by RealClearPolitics. One source said the FBI and CIA are involved in the investigation, though the Secret Service hasn't confirmed that.
The agency said Tuesday that three non-law enforcement employees had been placed on leave while its Office of Professional Responsibility conducts a review. The Secret Service did not identify the employees or disclose what prompted the investigation.
It also remains unclear whether the latest probe is connected to an earlier controversy involving President Donald Trump’s departure from Turkey. That reportedly involved intelligence indicating a supposed Iranian surface-to-air missile threat against Air Force One. An investigation was launched with Secret Service personnel being questioned after details emerged about Trump's decision not to leave Turkey aboard a Qatari-gifted aircraft. The FBI director, Kash Patel, was reportedly involved in launching that probe.
A Secret Service agent assigned to Vice President JD Vance's protective detail was also placed on leave in July over allegations that the agent leaked information about Vance's security and travel schedule.
The suspension comes as Guglielmi has already faced big backlash over his handling of several controversies involving the agency, including the failed 2024 assassination attempt against Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. After the Butler shooting, RealClearPolitics reported that SS resources had been diverted to then-first lady Jill Biden's campaign event in Pittsburgh. Guglielmi dismissed that report as “very wrong.”
An investigation led by Sen. Chuck Grassley later uncovered Secret Service emails showing that 12 personnel were assigned to the Biden event, compared with three for Trump's rally. Guglielmi also denied reports that Sean Curran had requested additional security resources before the Butler rally and was rebuffed.
“There’s an untrue assertion that a member of the President’s team requested additional security resources & that those were rebuffed,” he said. “This is absolutely false. In fact, we added protective resources & technology & capabilities as part of the increased campaign travel tempo.”
