The Secret Service has a “culture of deception,” former Rep. Jason Chaffetz says.
“What they tell the public has routinely been inaccurate, if not an outright lie,” said Chaffetz, a Republican who represented Utah’s 3rd Congressional District and who is now a visiting fellow with The Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project.
The former congressman made his remarks in a panel discussion, “The U.S. Secret Service Before, During, and After the Assassination Attempt of President Trump,” at The Heritage Foundation on Monday in Washington, D.C.
He said the would-be assassin’s bullet that grazed former President Donald Trump on July 13 came close to changing the trajectory of our country.
“It really highlighted for us that there is a serious problem that Secret Service’s got a reputation of being impenetrable, the premier law enforcement agency out there,” said Chaffetz, a regular contributor on the Fox News Channel.
He expects an investigation into the Secret Service will assign the agency an “F” in five categories—recruiting, training, workload, communication, and technology.
The Secret Service is understaffed, forcing too many people to work overtime, according to Chaffetz.
Increased training is one of the key changes needed to Secret Service operations, said Tristan Leavitt, president of Empower Oversight, who also spoke on The Heritage Foundation panel.
“And so, these individuals who go there because they have a passion. They want to be able to serve our nation. They’re not pursuing the training,” Leavitt said.
The Secret Service needs to move to a threat-based protective model, he said, adding that threats against Trump are high, but he’s treated as a third-rate protective responsibility.
The agency also need to increase respect for employees so people don’t leave, Leavitt said.
“They leave, and the Secret Service then is always having to retrain individuals,” he said, adding that its protectees should feel confident in the Secret Service, regardless of their political party.
“We need to fix the Secret Service,” Leavitt said. “You have to make changes so that everyone can have that confidence.”
Americans have no reason to trust Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas’ ability to execute change in the Secret Service, said Susan Crabtree, Real Clear Politics national political correspondent, who has written extensively on the agency and its culture in the wake of the Trump shooting.
“This new leadership needs to happen, and we can talk about exactly who we think is best for that,” Crabtree said.