Forbes, early Thursday morning, reported that the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) has seen a 40 percent increase in investigations of threats against protectees in 2026. One of the agency’s top protectees is Vice President JD Vance, and according to reporting from CNN and the UK-based Sun, an agent has been placed on administrative leave for allegedly leaking information about Vance’s travel plans to MS NOW (formerly MSNBC).
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Sun reporter Juliana Cruz Lima, in a Thursday morning report, explains, “The agent, who has not been publicly identified, allegedly served as a source for an MS NOW report about Vance’s travel schedule, according to CNN. They are now said to be under internal review by the U.S. Secret Service’s internal affairs division. CNN reported that a second source confirmed officials had identified a person believed to have been leaking information about the vice president.”
Lima adds, “The report that triggered the investigation claimed agents assigned to Vance’s protective detail had become frustrated by the demands of safeguarding the vice president, his wife Usha and their three young children as last-minute travel changes disrupted time off and personal plans.”
MS NOW reporters Carol Leonnig and Vaughn Hillyard, on July 15, described a “morale problem” among USSS agents “assigned to shield Vance and his young family.”
Leonnig and Hillyard reported that according to MS NOW sources, USSS agents “have shared concerns internally about Vance and his office pressing them for trips and assignments that some agents consider an inappropriate or even unprecedented use of government resources compared to prior vice presidents.”
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According to Lima, the USSS agent who is a “suspected leaker” has not been fired but will remain on administrative leave while the agency is conducting its probe.
Lima notes, “It is not yet clear whether the employee will face disciplinary action or criminal charges. The investigation comes as the Trump administration steps up efforts to tackle what it has called unauthorized leaks to the press. Earlier this month, four New York Times reporters were subpoenaed to testify before a federal grand jury over reporting on security features aboard President Donald Trump’s new presidential aircraft, which was gifted by Qatar.”
The Sun reporter adds, “Following publication of the MS NOW story, Secret Service Deputy Director Matt Quinn defended the work carried out by agents protecting America’s leaders.”
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