One of the Secret Service agents on Vice President JD Vance’s security detail was placed on administrative leave on Tuesday after being accused of leaking sensitive information.
The agent was captured on video footage and in text messages published Tuesday by the O’Keefe Media Group telling an undercover journalist about sensitive information related to Vance’s security measures and travel plans.
“This incident is under investigation, and the employee involved has been placed on administrative leave with his clearance suspended and access to agency facilities and systems revoked,” Secret Service Deputy Director Matthew Quinn said in a statement to the Washington Examiner.
Quinn said the Secret Service has also issued an order for all personnel to retake the agency’s required anti-espionage training ”to ensure employees are aware of the threats posed by individuals aiming to exploit agency employees for information about our protective operations.”
The official also issued an apology to the Vance family, saying the agency has “no tolerance for any behavior that could potentially compromise the safety, privacy, or trust of our protectees.”
“The U.S. Secret Service deeply apologizes to the Vance family for this violation of their trust and privacy,” Quinn said. “The faith our protectees place in this agency is not something the U.S. Secret Service takes lightly, and we are committed to taking the necessary actions to ensure that a similar breach of standards does not occur again.”
The O’Keefe Media Group identified the agent as Tomas A. Escotto, who has worked for the Secret Service for five years. Escotto told the undercover journalist that he voted for former President Joe Biden and criticized the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
In a sequence of conversations with an unidentified female undercover journalist whom he believed to be “a casual romantic interest,” Escotto was captured on hidden cameras and screenshots of text messages offering details about “sensitive security information,” including agent protocol and the timing, dates, and location of the vice president’s travel plans. He also complained about guarding Vance’s three children.
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The outlet said it redacted certain details “for the vice president’s safety.”
The White House declined to comment to the Washington Examiner, referring back to the Secret Service.
