Table Of Content
- Protection
- Secret Service removes agent from Kamala Harris' detail after 'distressing' behavior
- Protecting America's Schools
- Official Statement on the Investigation of a Substance Found in the White House
- What legal authority and powers do Secret Service agents have?
- Secret Service officer protecting Kamala Harris came to blows with other agents at Joint Base Andrews
The cocaine was initially said to have been found in the West Wing itself, but NBC News and Reuters report that a source later clarified that it was found in a cubby in a West Wing entry area "where visitors place electronics and other belongings before going on tours." Spectrum News reporter Julia Benbrook, citing House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer's team, first reported the news Monday on Twitter. An initial test of the substance conducted by the District of Columbia Fire Department indicated it was cocaine, and subsequent testing confirmed the finding. “The item was sent for further evaluation and an investigation into the cause and manner of how it entered the White House is pending,” the Secret Service said. The cocaine and packaging underwent further forensics testing, including advanced fingerprint and DNA work at the FBI’s crime laboratory, according to the summary. We investigate a range of crimes against the U.S. financial system committed by criminals around the world.
Protection
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre described the location as “highly traveled,” saying, “West Wing visitors come through this particular area.” She said staff-led tours were held Friday, Saturday and Sunday before the drug was found. Secret Service representatives briefed members of the House Oversight and Homeland Security committees on Capitol Hill on Thursday after lawmakers requested answers on the probe and security protocols at the White House. The small plastic baggie with a powdered substance — which was found in a storage cubby at the White House on a Sunday evening this month — was subjected to advanced testing and examined at two federal labs, but no usable fingerprints or DNA were detected, the officials said. Chuck Rosenberg, a former U.S. attorney and acting administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration under then-President Barack Obama, said law enforcement agencies need to consider their resources when making decisions about who and what to investigate. Gugliemi said the small amount of cocaine, 208 milligrams or about .007 ounce, would only result in a misdemeanor charge in the District of Columbia and the agency determined that did not warrant the expenditure of resources it would take to interview 500 people. Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., chairman of the House Committee on Oversight, in a letter last week requested a briefing from the Secret Service on the discovery of the cocaine as part of its own investigation.
Secret Service removes agent from Kamala Harris' detail after 'distressing' behavior
Official websites use .govA .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Secondary testing of powder found in the West Wing lobby of the White House was confirmed to be cocaine. President Biden was briefed on the investigation and said it is “incredibly important” for the Secret Service to determine how it got there. Prior to serving as Assistant Director, Cheatle served as the Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Office, providing oversight for all mission-related investigations, protective intelligence and protective visits in the state of Georgia. In 2021, President Biden awarded Cheatle with a Presidential Rank Award, recognizing her among a select group of career members of the Senior Executive Service for exceptional performance over an extended period of time. But the lab results didn’t turn up latent fingerprints or DNA, so agents can’t compare anything to the possible suspect pool.
Protecting America's Schools
DSS also has an ongoing protection detail on the United States ambassador to the United Nations and operates protective assignments on visiting foreign dignitaries and diplomats, which is highlighted during the United Nations General Assembly. Special agents are hired at the GL-07, GL-09, or GS-11 grade level, depending on individual qualifications and/or education.[78] Agents are eligible for promotion on a yearly basis, from GL-07, to GL-09, to GS-11, to GS-12, to GS-13. The full performance grade level for a journeyman field agent is GS-13, which a GL-07, GL-09, or GS-11 agent may reach in as little as four, three, or two years respectively. GS-13 agents are eligible for competitive promotion to supervisory positions, which encompasses the GS-14, GS-15, and SES grade levels. GS-13 agents who wish to remain as journeyman field agents, will continue to advance the GS-13 step level, capping at GS-13 Step 10. The period following the Kennedy assassination was the most difficult in the modern history of the agency.
The risk of one of those high-ranking individuals being captured is a tremendous risk to our national security and drives the reasons for the personal protective details. The Secret Service is often thought of -- and sometimes confused -- as the only agency within the federal government that protects people. While the Secret Service does protect a large array of individuals, the scope of that protection can be dwarfed by other federal agencies. Our protective mission dates back to 1901, after the assassination of President William McKinley.
Marshals Service, and it's been questioned by some members of the public who don’t understand its threat basis and consider it unnecessary since it seemed to be started due to politics and its cost has increased. Since our protective mission began in 1901, our jurisdiction has expanded to meet the needs of an evolving security environment. The Secret Service's initial responsibility was to investigate the counterfeiting of U.S. currency, which was rampant following the American Civil War. The agency then evolved into the United States' first domestic intelligence and counterintelligence agency. The statement did not address media reports that the agent got into a fight with other agents and had to be handcuffed before being taken in for a medical assessment.
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The FBI found no DNA or fingerprints on the baggie of cocaine, according to a summary of the findings by the Secret Service, providing no leads into who brought the cocaine into the White House. Both of these analyses were conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's crime laboratory given their expertise in this area and independence from the investigation. She has written for outlets including the Washington Examiner, Daily Signal and Alexandria Times. Melissa covers U.S. politics, with a focus on the Supreme Court and federal courts. Uniformed Division technicians assigned to the Counter Sniper (CS) team use custom built .300 Winchester Magnum-chambered bolt-action rifles referred to as JARs ("Just Another Rifle"). These rifles use Remington 700 actions in Accuracy International stocks with Schmidt & Bender optics.
How long do former presidents receive Secret Service protection after they leave office?
The military supports the Secret Service through the use of Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams and communications resources. When the president travels, an advance team of Secret Service agents works with the host city, state and local law enforcement, as well as public safety officials, to jointly implement the necessary security measures. The Uniformed Division officers assigned to the Foreign Missions Branch protect more than 500 foreign diplomatic missions in the Washington Metropolitan Area. They respond to complaints and calls for assistance primarily from foreign embassy personnel, but assist the general public as well. Other Cabinet-level officials in the federal government also receive different levels of personal protection from law enforcement components within their department. These personal protective details take different forms and are often authorized via an official directive vs definitive legal authority.
Secret Service officer protecting Kamala Harris came to blows with other agents at Joint Base Andrews
But Mr. Biden could also take a victory lap for a spate of good news in recent days. On Wednesday, the president earned yet another crucial union endorsement, this one from North America’s Building Trades Unions, in large part for his signature bipartisan infrastructure package. That same day, he signed another consequential piece of legislation — a $95.3 billion package of aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan that came after months of false starts and brutal congressional infighting. Donald Trump unleashed a broadside on Friday evening against Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the independent presidential candidate who in recent polls appears to be taking support from Trump.
A member of Vice President Harris’s Secret Service security detail was involved in an altercation with other agents on Monday and removed from their assignment, law enforcement officials said. The Washington Examiner understands that the agent became aggressive with other agents. When the special agent in charge and a detail shift supervisor attempted to calm the agent, a physical altercation ensued. The agent was handcuffed before being withdrawn from service for medical assessment.
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Comer, R-Ky., sent a letter Friday to Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle requesting the briefing by July 14 as well as additional information about the incident. According to information from the White House, spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that the location is "a heavily traveled area where many White House — West Wing — I should be even more specific — West Wing visitors come through this particular area." The cocaine was in a small Ziploc bag and found in a cubby used by visitors to store cellphones and other personal items in an area near the West Executive entryway on the ground floor of the West Wing. Video of the West Executive street lobby entrance did not identify the person or provide any solid investigative leads, the Secret Service said. Meanwhile, Secret Service investigators put together a list of several hundred individuals who may have accessed the area where the drugs were found.
The U.S. Secret Service takes its mission to protect U.S. leaders, facilities, and events seriously and we are constantly adapting to meet the needs of the current and future security environment. Testing conducted by the District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department indicated that the found powder tested preliminarily positive for the presence of cocaine. Department of Homeland Security's National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center, which analyzed the item for any biothreats.
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