A US Secret Service agent is under internal administrative investigation and potentially a criminal inquiry for allegedly compromising operational and information security. The probe follows a report last week detailing dissatisfaction among agents guarding Vice President JD Vance regarding his family's personal travel requests, including a specific instance involving a helicopter for his son's golf lesson.

On 23/7, US Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi confirmed the investigation. The inquiry was initiated after MSNow reported that some Secret Service agents on Vice President Vance's protective detail were increasingly unhappy with personal travel requests. One request cited involved deploying a dedicated helicopter to take Vance and his son to a golf course at Joint Base Andrews, near Washington D.C., for the boy's golf lesson. The flight was later canceled due to bad weather, but MSNow indicated this was one of many last-minute requests from the Vance family.

"Our unwavering principle is zero tolerance for any behavior that could threaten the safety of those we protect", Guglielmi stated, declining to comment on the incident's specifics.

Vice President JD Vance at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland on 10/4. *AP*

According to ABC sources, the MSNow article garnered the attention of senior Secret Service leadership and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). This led to the decision to launch an investigation into a member of the Vice President's protective detail.

Vance is one of the few US Vice Presidents to have young children while in office. He has previously expressed appreciation for the Secret Service agents and staff supporting his family.

This incident unfolds as the US Secret Service reports a continuous rise in threats against its protected individuals. Senior Secret Service officials indicate that since the start of the year, the agency has handled about 10,000 incidents involving threats against protected individuals, including President Donald Trump. They note that these threats are growing in number and complexity.

By Thanh Danh (AFP, ABC).