Another Secret Service agent assigned to Vice President JD Vance's protective detail has been placed on administrative leave, the second suspected leak from the same team in six months.
Officials believe the unidentified agent supplied information used in a July 15 story in the left-leaning MS NOW, formerly left-wing MSNBC, portraying Vance and his family as an unreasonable burden on their security team, according to two sources, a second of whom confirmed officials had already identified the suspected leaker. The Secret Service's internal affairs component is conducting the review, and it remains unclear whether the agent could face administrative punishment or criminal charges.
The original story relied heavily on anonymous sources who said agents had become “fed up” with last-minute travel requests from Vance and his wife, Second Lady Usha Vance. It included advance information about a planned Marine Corps helicopter flight that would have taken Vance and his son to a golf lesson at Joint Base Andrews. The flight was later canceled.
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The report also disclosed details about what agents call “off the record” movements, recent Vance family house-hunting trips and complaints about the manpower required to accommodate schedule changes. It even published images of coins and stickers agents reportedly made to mock the vice president's travel, using his Secret Service codename, "Bobcat."
According to the report, the inclusion of operational details caught the attention of Secret Service, FBI, and White House officials. The agent under review is suspected of being one of the sources behind the article.
Vance’s office defended the family and thanked the agents responsible for protecting them:
The Vances are grateful to the men and women of the U.S. Secret Service who serve our country with distinction.
The statement added that protecting a vice president with young children and a large policy portfolio presents “a unique challenge.”
Secret Service Deputy Director Matthew Quinn offered a blunt reminder, aimed squarely at anyone on the detail who'd rather complain to reporters than do the job: "Nights, weekends, and holidays are part of the job. Our agents work tirelessly to ensure protectees’ safety and security."
CNN said it contacted the Secret Service about the new investigation but had not received a response. MS NOW also did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment.
The latest investigation comes just six months after a different alleged breach involving Vance’s detail.
In January, O'Keefe Media Group released undercover footage showing Secret Service agent Tomas Escotto, a Biden-era hire who admitted voting for Biden and opposing Trump's immigration enforcement, disclosing sensitive information to a woman he believed was a romantic interest. O'Keefe alleged that Escotto discussed protective formations, shift schedules, travel plans, and real-time locations. He also allegedly provided images taken aboard Air Force Two and discussed future movements days in advance.
The Secret Service confirmed that an employee had been placed on administrative leave, although it did not publicly confirm Escotto’s identity. His security clearance was suspended, and his access to agency facilities and computer systems was revoked.
Quinn said at the time: “The U.S. Secret Service has no tolerance for any behavior that could potentially compromise the safety, privacy or trust of our protectees.”
The agency apologized to the Vance family and ordered every employee to retake required anti-espionage training. Quinn said the Secret Service would take the necessary steps to ensure that a similar breach did not happen again.
That was January. By July, internal affairs was back inside Vance's detail looking for another suspected leaker. The anti-espionage training didn't stick, or the political motivation to leak did.
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