The Secret Service is currently investigating a report that a female agent allegedly left her post during a Trump campaign event in North Carolina to breastfeed her child.
In response to the allegations, the Secret Service confirmed the investigation and issued a statement to Fox News Digital, emphasizing their commitment to maintaining high standards for all employees. “While there was no impact on the North Carolina event, the specifics of this incident are being reviewed. As this is a personnel matter, we are unable to provide further comment,” a spokesperson stated.
The incident reportedly occurred during former President Trump’s rally in Asheville on Wednesday. RealClearPolitics correspondent Susan Crabtree first reported the allegations, claiming that a female Secret Service agent had left her assigned post at the event to breastfeed without notifying the site agent. She also ushered two family members past security into a secure area where they were not permitted.
“The site agent discovered the agent breastfeeding her child in a room designated for critical Secret Service operations, including potential emergencies related to the president,” Crabtree wrote in a post on X.
Crabtree further noted that Secret Service agents on duty are not permitted to bring children to protective assignments. The agent involved is reportedly from the Atlanta Field Office.
This incident comes at a time when the Secret Service is under increased scrutiny, following an attempted assassination of Trump on July 13. The agency is facing mounting questions and concerns regarding its internal culture and staffing challenges.
These are not the only failures of The Secret Service recently, however. Agents have been reported taking pictures of sunsets, sleeping on the job, and stealing from each other. Further, according to Susan Crabtree,
Some agents working out in the gym violated office policy by propping open the door to help ventilate the room. A man in shorts and a t-shirt entered through that partially opened door, and no one noticed. The man, identified as Ashtyn Domenech by one knowledgeable source, apparently found the “bunk room,” took a shower, and fell asleep in a bed overnight, sources said.
Domenech accessed computers on an open internet line and downloaded and watched porn, according to two sources familiar with the trespassing incident.
The next morning, Domenech asked administration staff where he “could get a cup of coffee around here,” and the employees responded by fulfilling his request for coffee without realizing he didn’t belong there, the sources said. He then ventured into a class on defensive tactics that a supervisor was teaching. The supervisor confronted him about his identity and apprehended him.
The Secret Service didn’t arrest Domenech on federal charges, but instead turned him over to the local Miami Beach Police Department, which charged him with burglary, petty theft, and unlawful use of a police badge. Domenech had been arrested earlier that month for indecent exposure, according to Miami court records.
Susan Crabtree, RealClear Politics
Current and former Secret Service employees have expressed concerns about understaffing within the agency, despite a budget increase to $3 billion. The agency’s leadership is being criticized not only for the failures during the July 13 incident in Butler, Pennsylvania, but also for their handling of team morale and difficulties in recruiting and retaining talent.
The aftermath of the assassination attempt led to the resignation of former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, who was appointed by President Biden in 2022. She was replaced by acting Director Ronald Rowe.
It was also reported that Trump had been denied additional Secret Service protection on multiple occasions prior to the July 13 rally. Similarly, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., running as a third-party candidate, was denied Secret Service protection before President Biden reversed the decision days after the rally shooting.
;
