The First Family Detail

1. Secret Service agents reveal presidents' true characters

"You can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those who can do nothing for them or to them."

True nature revealed: Secret Service agents, sworn to protect presidents and their families, witness the unguarded moments that reveal a leader's true character. Their observations provide unique insights into how presidents behave when the cameras are off and the public isn't watching.

Contrasting behaviors:

• Respectful presidents: George H.W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush
• Difficult protectees: Hillary Clinton, Jimmy Carter, Lyndon Johnson

Impact on agents: The way presidents treat their protective details affects morale and job satisfaction. Agents prefer working for leaders who show respect and consideration, while difficult protectees make their jobs more challenging and less rewarding.

2. Hillary Clinton: The most detested protectee

"Hillary never talked to us. Most all members of first families would talk to us and smile. She never did that."

Consistently unpleasant: Agents universally describe Hillary Clinton as the worst protectee to work with. Her behavior is characterized by:

• Rudeness and disdain towards agents
• Frequent angry outbursts
• Refusal to acknowledge or interact with her protective detail

Public vs. private persona: Clinton's public image of caring about "the little people" contrasts sharply with her private treatment of those tasked with protecting her. This hypocrisy contributes to agents' negative perception of her character.

Long-term impact: Being assigned to Clinton's detail is considered a form of punishment within the Secret Service, highlighting how her behavior affects the morale and job satisfaction of those around her.

3. Joe Biden's reckless disregard for nuclear security protocols

"Biden or his staff continually change the schedule, and that's a grueling four years for agents to be assigned to his detail because of travel back and forth to Delaware, last-minute movement, and no set schedule."

Nuclear football separation: Biden regularly orders the military aide carrying the nuclear football to stay a mile behind his motorcade in Delaware, potentially leaving the country unable to respond to a nuclear attack.

Frequent unplanned trips:

• Last-minute decisions to travel to Delaware
• Demands for minimal security detail
• Refusal to give advance notice to agents

Taxpayer expense: Biden's frequent personal trips to Delaware have cost taxpayers nearly $1 million since taking office, while his office attempts to cover up these expenses.

4. Bill Clinton's infidelity continues post-presidency

"Energizer would show up sometimes moments after Hillary had left."

Ongoing affair: Secret Service agents have discovered that Bill Clinton has a long-term mistress, nicknamed "Energizer," who visits his Chappaqua home when Hillary is away.

Special treatment:

• Agents instructed not to log Energizer's visits
• No security checks performed on her
• Warned when Hillary is returning unexpectedly

Agents' dilemma: This situation puts agents in an ethically compromising position, forcing them to help conceal the affair from Hillary Clinton.

5. Secret Service corner-cutting endangers presidents

"At major events, we are typically understaffed, and in order to appease staff, senior Secret Service management under pressure simply orders us to open up the magnetometers—just open them up, let them through."

Magnetometer bypassing: Secret Service frequently allows people into events without proper screening, potentially exposing protectees to danger.

Understaffing and outdated equipment:

• Insufficient agents for proper coverage
• Continued use of outdated weapons like the MP5 submachine gun

Management attitude: Secret Service leadership proudly claims to "make do with less," prioritizing cost-cutting over security.

6. Ronald Reagan: A genuinely kind and considerate president

"What you saw with President Reagan in private with us at Camp David, at the ranch in Santa Barbara, was exactly the same way he came across on TV. He was just a very nice guy who was concerned about us and our creature comforts."

Consistent character: Reagan's public persona matched his private behavior, earning him respect and admiration from agents.

Thoughtful gestures:

• Stayed in Washington for Christmas Eve so agents could be with family
• Shared jokes and stories with agents
• Showed genuine concern for agents' well-being

Legacy: Even after developing Alzheimer's disease, Reagan maintained his kind demeanor and sense of humor with agents.

7. George W. Bush: Respectful leader, troublesome daughters

"With Bush, there was an instant change. He was punctual. Clinton was never on time for anything. It was embarrassing. Bush and his wife treated you normally, decently. They had conversations with us. The Clintons were arrogant, standoffish, and paranoid. Everyone got a morale boost with Bush. He was the complete opposite of Clinton."

Positive relationship with agents: Bush and his wife Laura treated agents with respect and consideration, often engaging in friendly conversations.

Punctuality and professionalism: Bush's timely habits and organized White House contrasted sharply with the Clinton administration's chaotic approach.

Challenging protection:

• Twins Jenna and Barbara frequently tried to evade their protective details
• Bush sometimes undermined agents' authority by siding with his daughters

8. Mitt Romney exposed to danger due to Secret Service shortcomings

"Near the end, we usually had three events a day and had to do two speeches each time. If we had a thousand people outside and a thousand inside, the governor would say to his detail leader he was going outside. The governor would walk to the parking lot and give an impromptu speech. Of course, he'd be ticked if he had to do two speeches instead of one. But we were not going to walk out of Des Moines with mad voters. These people outside events had not been screened with magnetometers and could have had firearms."

Insufficient resources: Secret Service failed to provide enough magnetometers for Romney campaign events, leading to long wait times and unscreened crowds.

Dangerous compromise:

• Romney often spoke to unscreened crowds outside venues
• Two-tier system created with screened and unscreened attendees

Misplaced priorities: Secret Service management refused to provide additional equipment, citing cost concerns despite the clear security risk.

9. White House security breaches highlight systemic issues

"For all the Secret Service knew, the couple could have been wanted terrorists or serial killers. While they passed through magnetometers at the checkpoint at Fifteenth and E Streets NW, they could have had chemical or biological weapons. Inside, they could have grabbed a knife from a table and stabbed the president in the heart."

Salahi incident: Tareq and Michaele Salahi crashed a 2009 state dinner, exposing serious flaws in White House security procedures.

Additional breaches:

• Carlos Allen also gained unauthorized access to the same event
• Fence jumpers and other intruders have exposed vulnerabilities

Root causes:

• Failure to follow established protocols
• Pressure to accommodate White House staff requests
• Fear of repercussions for turning away potential guests

10. Secret Service management culture perpetuates problems

"Secret Service senior management in this particular case guarded its own information and prevented the working agents from getting the intelligence they needed to get the job done."

Lack of transparency: Management often withholds crucial information from agents on the ground, hampering their ability to provide effective protection.

Misplaced priorities:

• Focus on investigating financial crimes at the expense of protection duties
• Padding arrest statistics to impress Congress

Resistance to change: Despite clear evidence of systemic issues, Secret Service leadership maintains a "we've always done it this way" attitude, refusing to address fundamental problems in the agency's approach to protection.

Last updated: October 29, 2024