A secret service agent assigned to Vice President JD Vance has been placed on leave after he was recorded sharing sensitive information with a woman he believed he’d met up with for a date.
In reality, the romantic get-together was actually a ruse orchestrated by conservative activist James O’Keefe, according to News Nation. He later later shared the 14-minute clip online Tuesday and identified the agent involved as Tomas Escotto. It begins with a man speaking in what appears to be a busy restaurant about security procedures and travel plans involving the vice president.
A woman off-camera at one point can be heard asking, “can I see your badge again, with your photo,” then adding, “you’re so cute”. She went on to ask Escotto a series of questions, including how agents are arranged around Vance when he is out in public. He responded, describing how “Vance and his family are shielded from danger, “including protective formations, shift schedules, travel plans, & real-time locations,” O’Keefe said.
“In addition to past movements, the agent revealed future travel plans, sometimes days in advance,” he added. “Escotto even sent images from Air Force Two while onboard with the Vice President.”
In a statement to News Nation, the Secret Service said it had placed the agent on administrative leave and suspended his clearance.
“The U.S. Secret Service has no tolerance for any behavior that could potentially compromise the safety, privacy or trust of our protectees,” Deputy Secret Service Director Matthew Quinn said.
“The U.S. Secret Service has also issued an order for all personnel to retake the agency’s required anti-espionage training in order to ensure employees are aware of the threats posed by individuals aiming to exploit agency employees for information about our protective operations,” he added.
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