Joe Biden is expected to receive protection from the secret service with a new team that is more familiar to him and will replace some agents amid concern that they may be politically allied with Donald Trump.
In a change of guard and man to be monitored in the White House, Biden security details will undergo some personnel changes, the Washington Post reported Thursday.
Several “senior” Secret Service agents are willing to return to the president-elect’s protection team and Biden knows these agents well because they protected him and his family during his time as vice president, according to the article, which it was echoed in a CNN report, citing a law enforcement source.
Reassignments and promotions are common during transition periods between presidential administrations and aim to increase the comfort and trust between an elected president and his security team, which overshadow the commander-in-chief closely, including private moments and debates. sensitive.
While staffing changes are typical, several incidents were reported to have helped increase Biden allies ’concerns that some agents and officers might be loyal to Trump.
According to reports, some members of the president’s detail urged his colleagues not to wear masks during the trips, for example, despite official federal government guidelines on Covid-19, as Trump himself belittled the use of masks and endured for months before being seen wearing one in public.
In what was described as an “unprecedented” move, the Secret Service had allowed former detail manager Anthony Ornato to temporarily leave his role and serve as deputy director of the White House cabinet.
Ornato was one of the coordinators of the June photo of Trump marching on Washington DC’s Lafayette Square to stand with a Bible, after peaceful protesters were forced out of the area by federal troops. , causing a stir in both political circles and the public. ..
Ornato also helped plan many rallies in the Trump campaign, even as Covid-19 crossed the United States and meetings were discouraged or banned. In addition to members of the public, many members of the secret service contracted coronavirus or were exposed.
The Secret Service refused to discuss the reports. Biden has had a security detail since March, when he campaigned for the Democratic nomination.
While former vice presidents receive a security detail for six months after leaving office, he formally requested protection from the Secret Service after protesters rushed to the stage at a campaign rally, CNN said.