Former Vice President Kamala Harris is about to step into some of the most public arenas of her post-White House career , but without the government protection once guaranteed to her.
President Donald Trump has ordered Harris’ Secret Service detail to be cut off as of September 1, according to a directive sent to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The move, first reported August 29, comes just days before Harris launches a 15-city book tour for 107 Days, her account of the 2024 campaign .
For Harris, the first Black woman to serve as vice president, the loss of federal protection creates a dangerous gap.
Private security firms, even when staffed by ex-Secret Service agents, simply can’t match the intelligence sharing, manpower, or legal authority of the real thing, experts warn, reported US Today.
“Whether it’s crowd control, motorcades, or defending against cyber and chemical threats, you’re just not going to get it from the private sector,” AT Smith, former deputy director of the Secret Service, was quoted as saying.
The decision puts Harris in the same category as John Bolton, Mike Pompeo, Robert O’Brien, and Dr Anthony Fauci, all of whom saw their taxpayer-funded security abruptly canceled under Trump, even as some faced active threats from hostile governments.
The law only guarantees six months of Secret Service coverage for former vice presidents. But Joe Biden quietly extended Harris’ detail for a year after leaving office, a courtesy Trump has now revoked.
The legality is murky. DHS has final say, and officials are supposed to review classified threat assessments before pulling protection. It’s unclear if that happened here.
California allies, including Gov Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, are already weighing how to keep Harris safe. And Democrats in Washington see Trump’s order as yet another weaponization of presidential power.
“Another dangerous reminder that there’s no agenda more important to Donald Trump than retribution,” said Rep. Adam Schiff. “He feeds conspiracy theories to his followers. Makes their targets more vulnerable. Then pulls their security.”
President Donald Trump has ordered Harris’ Secret Service detail to be cut off as of September 1, according to a directive sent to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The move, first reported August 29, comes just days before Harris launches a 15-city book tour for 107 Days, her account of the 2024 campaign .
For Harris, the first Black woman to serve as vice president, the loss of federal protection creates a dangerous gap.
Private security firms, even when staffed by ex-Secret Service agents, simply can’t match the intelligence sharing, manpower, or legal authority of the real thing, experts warn, reported US Today.
“Whether it’s crowd control, motorcades, or defending against cyber and chemical threats, you’re just not going to get it from the private sector,” AT Smith, former deputy director of the Secret Service, was quoted as saying.
The decision puts Harris in the same category as John Bolton, Mike Pompeo, Robert O’Brien, and Dr Anthony Fauci, all of whom saw their taxpayer-funded security abruptly canceled under Trump, even as some faced active threats from hostile governments.
The law only guarantees six months of Secret Service coverage for former vice presidents. But Joe Biden quietly extended Harris’ detail for a year after leaving office, a courtesy Trump has now revoked.
The legality is murky. DHS has final say, and officials are supposed to review classified threat assessments before pulling protection. It’s unclear if that happened here.
California allies, including Gov Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, are already weighing how to keep Harris safe. And Democrats in Washington see Trump’s order as yet another weaponization of presidential power.
“Another dangerous reminder that there’s no agenda more important to Donald Trump than retribution,” said Rep. Adam Schiff. “He feeds conspiracy theories to his followers. Makes their targets more vulnerable. Then pulls their security.”
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