Secret Service agent placed on leave amid probe into leaked Vance travel details

A member of U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance's Secret Service detail is under investigation and placed on administrative leave after being suspected of leaking sensitive information to a news publication, as per a CNN  report. The report also claims that the Secret Service confirmed the same via a statement released on Thursday morning, but did not disclose exactly what the agent was accused of leaking. The identity of the agent has also been kept under wraps.

"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 Chief of Communications Anthony Guglielmi said. "While we will not comment on the specifics of this matter, one principle is unequivocal: any conduct that undermines the trust and confidence between a protectee and their protective detail is fundamentally incompatible with our mission and will not be tolerated."

The investigation is currently being conducted by the Secret Service's internal affairs component, and it is suspected that the agent leaked information about Vance's personal and family travel arrangements to MS Now. As per the article, agents had become "fed up" with the Vice President's last-minute travel demands. At the time, the Vance family had issued a statement to the publication, in which they thanked the Secret Service for its hard work.

"The Vances are grateful to the men and women of the U.S. Secret Service who serve our country with distinction. While protecting a Vice President with a large policy portfolio and a young and growing family presents a unique challenge, agents of the Secret Service do so with excellence every day," the statement read. However, people familiar with the matter expressed frustration at the time. "They change everything," one such person said. "They don't stick to their schedules, and that costs s**t-tons of taxpayer money."

"The detail is tired of them not giving notice on things and making everything an OTR (off the record). He [Vance] thinks he can still move around like a U.S. Senator," another person familiar with the matter had said. The report also stated that one person expressed dissatisfaction over the Vance family requesting a helicopter for the Vice President's son's golfing lesson. "Pence and Harris never pulled anything like that," the person claimed.

At the time, Secret Service Deputy Director Matt Quinn issued a statement, highlighting that agents knew what they signed up for when they took the job. "When U.S. Secret Service Special Agents choose to join a protective detail, they understand the commitment required: long hours, frequent travel, and the need for constant flexibility," the statement read.

"Nights, weekends, and holidays are part of the job. Our agents work tirelessly to ensure protectees' safety and security, while also preserving normalcy to the extent possible. We are committed to supporting our personnel, which requires around-the-clock dedication and discipline. This is a job that requires absolute dedication and discipline."