The U.S. Secret Service (USSS), charged with the critical task of protecting high-profile figures like the president and vice president, faced a significant incident recently. An agent assigned to Vice President Kamala Harris was removed from their duty after an episode at Andrews Air Force Base on April 22.
During the incident, the agent, whose name has not been disclosed, reportedly exhibited aggressive behavior towards fellow agents. The situation escalated when the supervising special agent in charge intervened, resulting in the aggressive agent becoming physically violent and subsequently removed from the assignment.
USSS spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi released a statement explaining that the agent “began displaying behavior their colleagues found distressing.” To manage the situation and prevent any further aggression, the other agents present restrained the individual and called in medical personnel, leading to the incident being classified as a “medical matter.” The agent was taken to a hospital, though additional details were not provided to respect their privacy.
CBS News reported, citing anonymous sources, that the agent was speaking gibberish and incoherently at the time of the incident. The matter is being approached as a medical, rather than disciplinary issue, with future decisions pending on whether the agent can resume work duties. An internal review by the USSS is also expected to assess whether the agent’s top secret security clearance should be revoked.
Vice President Harris was preparing to leave for a campaign event in Wisconsin from the base that morning but was at the Naval Observatory about an hour before her departure when the incident occurred. The event did not impact her scheduled trip.