The House Oversight Committee is opening an investigation into the Secret Service following reports that an agent assigned to Vice President Kamala Harris physically attacked her commanding officer.
In a letter sent to the Secret Service Thursday, Chairman James Comer (R-KY) requested a briefing from agency officials about how it hires and trains personnel and whether that process poses national security risks. The investigation comes after the Secret Service agent allegedly assaulted her superior and other agents trying to subdue her while on duty at Joint Base Andrews, which was reported by the Washington Examiner last month.
“This incident raised concerns within the agency about the hiring and screening process for this agent: specifically whether previous incidents in her work history were overlooked during the hiring process as years of staff shortages had led the agency to lower once stricter standards as part of a diversity, equity and inclusion effort,” Comer said in a statement.
The agent was later removed from her assignment, according to the Secret Service. A spokesperson for the agency reported the agent “began displaying behavior their colleagues found distressing” and described the incident as a “medical matter.”
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The investigation comes in response to a petition circulating within the Secret Service calling for a congressional inquiry, raising concerns that the incident, along with other related reports, is the result of “inadequate training.”
The committee is requesting a briefing to detail how the agency is responding to the incident and how it will “quickly remedy any vulnerabilities.” Comer gave the Secret Service a deadline of June 13 to provide a briefing. The Washington Examiner contacted a spokesperson for the agency for comment.
