Secret Service probes agent on Vance’s detail after leak about helicopter trip for son’s golf lesson
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US Vice-President J.D. Vance arriving with Secret Service agents to board Air Force Two in Israel in 2025.
PHOTO: NATHAN HOWARD/NYTIMES
- A US Secret Service agent assigned to Vice-President J.D. Vance is under investigation for allegedly leaking information about personal travel requests.
- Vance reportedly wanted to fly his son to a golf lesson on a military helicopter, but the flight was cancelled due to thunderstorms.
- The Secret Service condemned any conduct threatening protectee safety and cited an unprecedented number of threats against officials including President Trump.
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WASHINGTON – A US Secret Service agent assigned to Vice-President J.D. Vance is under investigation for alleged leaks, a spokesman said on July 23, after a report that Vance had wanted to use a military helicopter to fly his son to a golf lesson.
The probe comes after US broadcaster MSNOW last week reported that Vance’s security detail had become increasingly “fed up” with personal travel requests by the Vice-President and his family.
“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,” Secret Service communications chief Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement to AFP.
“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.”
According to MSNOW, Vance’s requests included flying him and his son to a secure golf course at Joint Base Andrews near Washington on board Marine Two, the call sign of the helicopter that carries the vice-president.
The flight ended up being cancelled because of thunderstorms, the report said, but was one of a number of last-minute requests made by the Vances.
Vance, who recently welcomed his fourth child with wife Usha, is the first vice-president in decades with young children.
He has previously spoken admiringly of the agents and staff who help them.
The Secret Service has said it is dealing with an unprecedented number of threats against the people it protects, including President Donald Trump, who has escaped several assassination attempts. AFP
