The Director of the United States Secret Service (USSS), Sean Curran, has issued a statement to all USSS personnel announcing a "zero tolerance for distractions" decree in the wake of Charlie Kirk's murder - and an unacceptable statement by one USSS employee. The statement was released to X in a post by RealClearPolitics National Political Correspondent Susan Crabtree.
📢📢 SECRET SERVICE SCOOP: USSS Director Sean Curran issues zero-tolerance for "distractions" decree in the wake of an agent cheering Charlie Kirk's murder.
— Susan Crabtree (@susancrabtree) September 12, 2025
Curran's email missive to all agency employees, obtained by @RCPolitics, comes in the wake of at least one recent… pic.twitter.com/MV5vIycWfG
The decree issued by Director Curran reads:
"To the Men and Women of the Secret Service,
I’m writing to remind all employees that we swear an oath to those we protect to conduct ourselves with the highest standards of conduct on and off duty.
When our actions draw public attention for the wrong reasons, we fall short of that duty and compromise the trust essential to fulfill our mission.
Let me be clear, politically motivated attacks in our nation are increasing—seemingly every day. The men and women of the Secret Service must be focused on being the solution, not adding to the problem. We must operate every day without bias towards political affiliation. We owe it to ourselves and those we are sworn to protect.
Any distractions, otherwise, will not be tolerated."
This comes on the tail of a number of embarrassing incidents, also detailed by Susan Crabtree in her X post.
Curran's email missive to all agency employees, obtained by @RCPolitics, comes in the wake of at least one recent security breach, in which a Glock got through screening at Trump's golf course in Virginia over Labor Day weekend, and a string of embarrassing incidents, including an agent Wednesday posting on social media that Kirk deserved to be assassinated because of "karma."
The agent, Anthony Pough, has since been placed on administrative leave and is expected to be fired, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.
News of Pough's inappropriate social media post came a day after far-left protesters confronted Trump in a restaurant and yelled epithets at him for at least 30 seconds before the Secret Service agents escorted them out.
"Expected to be fired," we can hope, ends up being realized. "Dismissed in disgrace and with prejudice" would be more satisfying. This person should never work in law enforcement at any level ever again. If the only job he can find is a night clerk at a 7-11 in downtown Baltimore, that would be very satisfying.
Read More: New: Secret Service Agent Came Within 5 Feet of Would-Be Trump Assassin
The Secret Service is tasked, as we all know, with guarding the President of the United States, along with the First Family and other high-ranking elected officials. That's probably the most intensive and the most important law enforcement job in the country. They can't afford screw-ups; would-be attackers, as we saw during the 2024 campaign, can keep messing up, but the USSS has to fail only once, and they have a dead principal.
So when we see events like the restaurant event noted above, it's concerning.
Director Curran is right to clamp down on unacceptable, and frankly loathsome, comments like that made by Anthony Pough. This kind of partisanship, in an agency tasked with guarding the President, presents a horrifying risk. It's going to take more than a letter, though, more than a sternly worded statement. Anthony Pough should be dismissed as soon as possible - and in the other cases, the USSS may want to (and presumably are) take a long, hard look at their protocols and training.
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