The US Secret Service announced on 30/7 that it is conducting a "personnel investigation" after an agent tried to sneak his wife onto President Donald Trump's plane bound for Scotland last week.
A spokesperson for the agency stated, "The aircraft is operated by the US Air Force and used by the Secret Service to transport personnel and equipment."
"Prior to departure, the employee was reminded by his supervisor that this action was prohibited. His wife was subsequently prevented from boarding the aircraft," the spokesperson added.
According to the UK's Telegraph, the agent lives in Dallas, Texas, and his wife is a member of the US Air Force. He brought his wife to Maryland, where she and others received a full briefing from senior Secret Service officials about Trump's 5-day trip.
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A US secret service agent stands next to Air Force One before Trump's departure from Scotland on 29/7. Photo: AFP |
A US secret service agent stands next to Air Force One before Trump's departure from Scotland on 29/7. Photo: AFP
The woman was then transported by bus to the guest lounge at Joint Base Andrews, before being identified and asked to leave.
The Secret Service spokesperson said the incident did not affect the agency's "protective operations abroad."
President Trump returned from Scotland on 29/7, after meeting with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and attending the opening of his new golf course outside Aberdeen.
The former president later told reporters that he had just learned about the incident and called it "strange." "I don't know, it's a strange thing. I just found out two minutes ago. I think Sean is handling it. Is this true?", he said, referring to Secret Service Director Sean Curran.
Tim Miller, a former Secret Service agent during the George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton administrations, called the incident unusual and urged the Secret Service to "step up" to address the growing threats against Trump.
This incident comes almost a year after the Secret Service was accused of a security lapse that nearly led to Trump's assassination. A 20-year-old man fired a gun while Trump was giving a campaign speech in Butler, Pennsylvania, with the bullet grazing his ear. Kimberly Cheatle, then-director of the Secret Service, resigned amid heavy criticism following the incident.
Pham Giang (According to The Hill, Telegraph, Fox News)
