Vance Secret Service detail member investigated over leak allegations

A member of Vice President JD Vance’s Secret Service detail has been removed from the assignment while officials investigate allegations that the person compromised the vice president’s security, the Secret Service said Thursday.

Anthony Guglielmi, the agency’s chief of communications, confirmed the investigation but did not identify the member of the Vice Presidential Protective Division or describe the specific allegations. He said the administrative review could become a criminal inquiry.

“A member of the Vice Presidential Protective Division is the subject of an administrative investigation, and potential criminal inquiry, involving allegations of compromising operational and information security,” Guglielmi said in a statement. “While we will not comment on the specifics of this matter, one principle is unequivocal: any conduct that potentially threatens the safety of a protectee will not be tolerated.”

CNN first reported the investigation, citing sources familiar with the matter who said the agent was suspected of leaking information used in an MS NOW report about alleged complaints among Secret Service agents over Vance’s travel habits.

Vance’s office declined to comment to NBC News about the agent’s removal.

The inquiry comes after MS NOW reported that some agents assigned to protect Vance had raised internal concerns about trips and assignments they viewed as an inappropriate or unprecedented use of government resources compared with prior vice presidents. The outlet cited unnamed sources, including people with knowledge of flight plans, administration officials with knowledge of Vance’s schedule and a person familiar with agents’ frustration.

According to MS NOW, agents complained among themselves about a plan to join Vance on Marine Two as he flew with his son from the vice president’s official residence to Joint Base Andrews for the child’s golf lesson. The flight was canceled at the last minute because of severe weather. MS NOW also reported that a series of unplanned, so-called “off-the-record” movements had hurt morale among agents assigned to protect Vance and his family.

NBC News said it had not independently confirmed the details in the MS NOW or CNN reports about the alleged complaints or the circumstances surrounding the agent’s removal.

An administration official told NBC News that Vance’s travel duties can change unexpectedly because of important meetings and events that override earlier plans, creating strain for the Secret Service. The official also said that, unlike recent vice presidents, Vance has young children and tries to spend as much time with them as possible, adding a new element to the agency’s protective work.

The official said the Marine Two route from the vice president’s residence to Joint Base Andrews is the most common helicopter route for the vice president and requires fewer local law enforcement and other resources than a motorcade.

As first in line to the presidency, Vance and his family receive round-the-clock Secret Service protection. The vice president’s primary residence is at the Naval Observatory in Washington. CBS News reported earlier this month that the Vance family was preparing to lease an additional house in Middleburg, Virginia, about 40 miles outside the capital, with the Secret Service making additional security arrangements there. Usha Vance, the second lady, gave birth to the couple’s fourth child over the weekend.

The investigation also comes as the Trump administration has taken a hard line against leaks to journalists. NBC News reported that the administration recently issued subpoenas to New York Times reporters who covered security concerns related to the new Air Force One. A judge was set to hold a hearing Thursday on the Times’ challenge to those subpoenas. The Justice Department has said the investigation targets people “leaking classified information,” not reporters.

Last month, NBC News reported, the administration tried to compel four journalists to testify before a federal grand jury but reversed course after The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post pushed back.