The protective mission of the Secret Service is vital to the national security of our country. It is the foundation upon which the rest of our free democracy functions.
At a recent church service, a close relative (an avid Trump supporter) mentioned to me that the president-elect needs to clean house at the U.S. Secret Service and staff it with vetted and loyal special agents.
His comment caught me, a former Secret Service special agent, off guard. I spent the entire church service thinking about how misguided and unfortunate any attempt to politicize the Secret Service would be. But I also thought about ways Trump could refocus and energize a beleaguered agency.
Here are a few ways Trump could do it without being political.
REMOVE CIVIL SERVICE PROTECTIONS
I worked with some amazing and incredible people during my time in the Secret Service. I worked alongside Ivy League graduates, Division I and professional athletes, and former members of the Navy Seals, Army Rangers and Delta Force. I daily witnessed my colleagues making great sacrifices to ensure the safety of America’s elected leaders.
The hiring and selection criteria are stringent, but like any other organization, the Secret Service hires individuals from the human race. Sometimes agents fall asleep on post or have negligent firearms discharges. Some don’t meet minimum firearms requalifications. Some can’t pass their physicals. These incidents are rare, but they happen
When Delta Force or Seal Team 6 have personnel issues, they can dismiss individuals for “failure to maintain standards.” The U.S. Secret Service cannot do this. All special agents are federal employees with civil service protection. They cannot be fired or removed without cause. And the removal process for federal employees can take months or years to resolve.
This process was evident in the July 2024 congressional hearings after the first assassination attempt on Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., repeatedly asked the U.S. Secret Service Director Ron Rowe if the site special agent had been “relieved of duty” or if the agents involved in the rally protective advance had been fired.
But the bottom line is, even if there were mistakes made that led to the near catastrophic killing of Trump, the agents involved are entitled to civil service protections, according to federal employment rules.
