Vance's security detail 'fed up' with hastily arranged personal and family travel requests
By: Cindy Galli (MS NOW)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
On Thursday last week, Secret Service agents groused among themselves as they prepared to deliver another perk to Vice President JD Vance's family: join a military helicopter crew to fly his young son to his golf lesson.
The planned trip on Marine Two, the call-sign for the U.S. Marine Corps helicopter that carries the vice president, was canceled at the last minute due to severe thunderstorms and high winds in the Washington, D.C., area that day, according to two people with knowledge of the flight plans. Vance planned to travel with his son on the flight to Joint Base Andrews — which includes a secure, world-class golf center — according to two other administration officials with knowledge of his schedule.
But the Secret Service staff's complaints about a planned chopper ride for an elementary school student reflects a building morale problem inside the team of agents assigned to shield Vance and his young family, according to the two people and another person familiar with the agents' frustration.
Agents have shared concerns internally about Vance and his office pressing them for trips and assignments that some agents consider an inappropriate or even unprecedented use of government resources compared to prior vice presidents, they said.
The agents pulled in to protect Vance and his family have also become "fed up" with the last-minute travel demands that Vance and his wife, second lady Usha Vance, frequently place on the security team, according to the two people and an additional source with knowledge of their travel who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. The Vances are the first family to reside at the Naval Observatory with young children since former Vice President Al Gore and his family, more than 25 years ago.
There's no formal Secret Service policy prohibiting the use of a government helicopter for transporting a vice president's child to a local event, but former and current Secret Service supervisors agreed the request for a chopper for this purpose has no precedent. They told MS NOW that prior vice presidents eschewed using such expensive government perks for the convenience of their children's schedule, and agents typically drove children locally in sports utility vehicles.
The vice president's office provided the following statement in response to MS NOW's questions:
"The Vances are grateful to the men and women of the U.S. Secret Service who serve our country with distinction," it read. "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 White House Military Office, which reports to the president, would have to authorize the use of the helicopter for the golf lesson. Operating the helicopter costs taxpayers between $16,000 and $24,600 per hour of use, according to 2022 Defense Department budget estimates.
"That is RIDICULOUS," one person with knowledge of the planned golf trip said in a message. "Pence and Harris never pulled anything like that."
The Vances recently required several last minute chopper trips to the region around Middleburg, Virginia, so they could hunt for houses to buy or rent there for their expanding family. The couple — who have three children, ages nine, six and four — announced earlier this year that the second lady was pregnant with their fourth child and is expected to deliver late this month.
Previous vice presidents and other protected administration officials traditionally warned the Secret Service of their intended travel days in advance, especially for their family, and sought to provide at least several hours' notice of changes.
"They change everything," one of the people said. "They don't stick to their schedules, and that costs shit-tons of taxpayer money."
Such hastily arranged trips, known within the Secret Service as "off the record" movements, require agents to cancel their days off, drop other plans and often race to the location they are needed. It also forces agents to come up with security plans in a hurry, according to numerous current and former Secret Service personnel. The repeated pattern of off the record movements can quickly and understandably erode morale on a protection detail, current and former agents told MS NOW.
"The detail is tired of them not giving notice on things and making everything an OTR," said one person familiar with the detail's frustration. "He [Vance] thinks he can still move around like a U.S. Senator. "
Secret Service Deputy Director Matt Quinn issued a statement in response to MS NOW's questions, emphasizing that protecting the nation's leaders requires constant vigilance and allows no room for compromise.
"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."
Chronic understaffing at the Secret Service has long dogged the law enforcement agency and has often led agents to work excessive overtime to secure the administration leaders and family members they are legally required to shield. It has also forced the Secret Service to put inexperienced staff in charge of some security assignments, such as the 2024 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where an assassin came close to killing then-candidate Donald Trump.
A second person aware of Secret Service complaints about the Vances added, "The issue is they are trying to live a normal, 'organic' life."
The frustration over the last minute asks has boiled over to the point that agents have made custom coins and stickers to mock the frequency of the vice president's and his family's last-minute travel, using Vance's Secret Service code name, "Bobcat", according to images reviewed by MSNOW.
Trolling, taunting, spamming, and off topic comments may be removed at the discretion of group mods. NT members that are known plagiarists, repeat comments, or continue to disrupt/deflect the conversation risk having all of their comments deleted. Please remember to quote the person(s) to whom you are replying to preserve continuity of this seed. Any use of the phrase "Trump Derangement Syndrome" or the TDS acronym in a comment will be deleted. Any use of the term "Brandon", "Traitor Joe", or any variations thereof, when referring to President Biden, will be deleted. Right wing trolls can expect to have their irrelevant questions and comments deleted. Posting debunked lies will be subject to deletion. Use of the terms "leftist" or "lefty" will also be subject to deletion. ©
Tags
Who is online
126 visitors
Vance wanted to use a military helicopter to take his elementary school age son to A GOLF LESSON.
I hope the magas are happy this is how their tax dollars are being used and that they're all very happy they voted for these creeps.
Well, they may be happy but I'm not. This kind of thing erodes morale and makes doing the job a lot harder. Being angry tends to cause one to lose focus.
If I had SS I would bring them cookies, chocolate milk, lasagna, anything to make sure they like me and would take a bullet for me
gee, how can we afford that? the maga thumper leading the house is claiming the military is broke ...
cookies and cake is weak, especially after the special treatment that melania gives her SS detail ...
I'll bake the cookies myself!
I'm afraid that will now pale in comparison to a melania gangbang in trump tower ...
typical maga millionaire ...
Just like the typical American family.
ROFL!!!!
Yeah, I use my special chopper to go to the grocery store. Mr G takes it to the golf course
At taxpayer expense, I hope.
Oh, absolutely! When I'm corrupting my soul I like to go first class
You would make all Trumpists proud.
too bad his wife and kids don't look american ...
... according to trumpists.
they're American enough
I really don't feel the need to label my comments as sarcastic in this group ...
It turns out it only costs $16,000-$25,000 per hour to run a military helicopter. So, no big deal.
chump change
chump trump change ...
That change should be $99.99 if you paid for him with a $100. The American people want their change back and it's going to get ugly this November.
So, an hour golf lesson for his son, plus travel time to and from the location, should only run the taxpayer between $35k to $50k. I mean, what down to earth, patriotic God fearing white American male hasn't spent $50,000 of other people's money for a single golf lesson for their kid? /s
Vance wanted military helicopter to fly his son to a golf lesson: report | The Independent
Right? Who would begrudge a neo-fascist elitist like Vance from using as much taxpayer money as he wants any time for anything?
bibi isn't a fan of his. maybe it's all his neo-nazi pals ...