Alarmed by an incident in April involving a security detail for Vice President Kamala Harris, the House Oversight Committee will be briefed next week on hiring and training issues that could affect the Secret Service.
According to the Washington Examiner, on April 22, an armed agent protecting Harris got into a scuffle with other agents at Joint Base Andrews near Washington, DC.
House Oversight and Accountability Chairman Rep. James Comer of Kentucky sent a letter to the Secret Service in May asking for more information about concerns about the incident and broader training issues, according to Fox News.
“In response to Chairman James Cuomo’s letter, the U.S. Secret Service will comply with the House Oversight Committee’s request for a briefing on the topics outlined in the May 30, 2024 open letter,” a Secret Service representative said.
In a letter to Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, Cuomo summarized the events that drew lawmakers’ attention,
“Recent reports emerged that a Secret Service agent tasked with protecting Vice President Kamala Harris physically assaulted her supervisor (and the commander responsible) and other agents who tried to subdue her while on duty at Joint Base Andrews. attack, and assigned to the Vice President a protective detail of the President,” Cuomo wrote.
“A Secret Service spokesperson confirmed that the agent was ‘removed’ following the attack and that the agent ‘began exhibiting behavior that was distressing to colleagues,'” Cuomo wrote, further describing the incident as a ‘medical issue. ‘.
Cuomo said the “more harrowing details of the incident” reported by the media stated that “the agent punched and shoved her superior in the chest and then assaulted him with the gun still in the holster. She was tackled and beaten, which worried her colleagues.
Cuomo noted that lawmakers were concerned that the incident could indicate other problems with the agency’s recruiting and screening processes.
“The incident raised concerns within the agency about the agent’s hiring and screening process: specifically whether incidents from her previous employment history were overlooked during the hiring process, given that years of staffing shortages have led the agency to lower its once-reduced Tighter standards as part of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts,” he wrote.
Cuomo cited a Bloomberg report saying a petition is circulating within the agency expressing concern that “some recent Secret Service incidents demonstrate inadequate training,” double standards in disciplinary action, and “the exposure to potential insider threats.” ” concerns about vulnerability. This could pose a risk to U.S. national security. “
Real Clear Politics, citing unnamed sources, identified the agent involved as Michelle Herczeg.
Reports say the agent arrived at Joint Base Andrews, snatched the personal cell phone of a senior agent and began deleting apps on the phone. Senior agents later retrieved the phone.
According to the report, a source told the outlet that the agent “began talking to himself, hiding behind a curtain, and began throwing items, including menstrual pads, at one agent, telling him he would need the items later to save another agent.” , and told her colleagues they “will burn in hell and need to listen to God,” a source told RealClearPolitics.
As the incident escalated, the agent attacked her supervisor and beat him. Other agents then intervened, subdued the agent and took her gun away, the report said.
Real Clear Politics noted that in 2016, Herzzeger filed a gender discrimination lawsuit against the Dallas Police Department while he was an officer in the department, but it was later dismissed.
This article originally appeared in Western Daily News.
