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WASHINGTON — A Secret Service agent suspected of leaking details about Vice President JD Vance’s travel has been placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation.
The unidentified agent is believed to have been a source for a MS Now story published last week that claimed Vance’s Secret Service detail was frusted with the second family’s habit of making last-minute travel arrangements and special requests.
“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,” a Secret Service spokesperson told The Post Thiursday.
“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 that the agent had been put on leave.
The agent is suspected of leaking sensitive information about Vice President JD Vance’s travels. MediaPunch / BACKGRID
The Secret Service has been grappling with rising threats against its protectees. AP Photo/Manuel Balce CenetaThe MS Now piece reported that Vance’s detail had recently been asked to travel with the VP and his son aboard Marine Two, the vice presidential helicopter, so that the boy could make his golf lesson at Joint Base Andrews.
The planned chopper trip was scrapped due to bad weather, but the outlet reported that some agents considered the request inappropriate.
The outlet also reported that Vance and his wife Usha had taken “several” last-minute chopper trips while house-hunting in northern Virginia. The Post reported this week that the couple are renting two of the four homes that comprise Wolver Hill Farm, a 500-acre estate in Middleburg, Va., owned by federal contractor and data center developer Charles “Chuck” Kuhn.
Vance’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The agent’s suspension emerged as the Trump administration mounts a crackdown on leaks.
Earlier this month, four New York Times reporters were subpoenaed to testify about a story they reported on possible security flaws in Trump’s new Air Force One, a gift from the Gulf state of Qatar.
On Wednesday, Secret Service Director Sean Curran warned that the protective agency is facing one of the most difficult threat environments in its history, having opened probes of 10,000 threats so far this year.
“I think the environment has become very volatile and that’s just across the board, not just to our protectees but local officials. The threat picture and environment is as large as I’ve ever seen it,” Curran said.
The Vances have four young children and welcomed son Alec Neel to their family last week. They are the first vice presidential couple to have a new baby in more than 150 years.
Vance has kept busy with various assignments, including peace negotiations with Iran, which broke down earlier this month after Tehran attacked several vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
Additionally, the vice president has done a media tour to promote his new book, “Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith,” which hit bookshelves last month.
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