Three Employees Placed on Leave
Three Secret Service employees were reportedly escorted out of their offices Monday and marked as “do not admits” as part of a criminal investigation into alleged leaks of classified information to the media, according to RealClearPolitics reporter Susan Crabtree, who cited two sources familiar with the matter. The Secret Service later confirmed that three non-law enforcement personnel had been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation into “potential misconduct.” In the grand tradition of Washington clarity, the agency confirmed enough to raise eyebrows, then declined to say much more.
Clearances Suspended, Devices Cut Off
CBS News identified one of the employees as Secret Service Chief of Communications Anthony Guglielmi, with the other two reportedly also working in the communications office. All three had their security clearances suspended and lost access to their government-issued devices, according to the report. The agency said the matter is being handled by its Office of Professional Responsibility and added that it could not comment further. That is Washington-speak for “please enjoy this brick wall while we investigate ourselves.”
FBI And CIA Reportedly Involved
Crabtree reported that the FBI and CIA are involved in the investigation, citing one source. The Secret Service has not publicly confirmed that claim, and it has not publicly confirmed that the investigation is about classified leaks. Its statement instead focused on “potential misconduct” and said the agency is committed to “the highest standards of professionalism and integrity” while carrying out its “zero-fail mission” of protecting the president and other senior officials. The words are polished, as agency statements usually are. The facts now being reported are less polished.
Possible Link To Turkey Security Operation
It remains unclear whether the alleged leaks are tied to reporting about President Trump’s secret evacuation from Turkey after intelligence about a possible surface-to-air missile threat to Air Force One from Iran. Earlier reporting said Trump was transferred from Air Force One to a smaller C-32A military aircraft before leaving Ankara on July 8, with the move reportedly made inside an airport catering truck while the original Air Force One departed as a decoy carrying officials, Secret Service personnel, White House staff, and members of the traveling press. Trump later told reporters, “It’s only up to the Secret Service. I just follow what they’d like to do. They wanted me to go on a different flight, a different plane.”
More Sensitive Details Later Surfaced
Additional reporting from CBS News later described more details about the security operation, including claims that the National Security Agency, CIA, and Turkey’s MIT intelligence service had intercepted information about a possible Iranian plot to fire a missile at the presidential aircraft. That report also described when the decision to move Trump was reportedly made. If accurate, those details would be the kind of information most Americans would expect to stay locked down tighter than a federal office on a Friday afternoon. For now, the confirmed public facts are limited: three Secret Service employees are on leave, clearances were suspended, devices were taken, and investigators are looking at possible misconduct.
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