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Tag: United States Secret Service

  • Armed man shot and killed after


    Washington — A man armed with a shotgun was shot and killed early Sunday morning after making an “unauthorized entry” into the secure perimeter at President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, the U.S. Secret Service said.

    Multiple sources identified the man to CBS News as  21-year-old Austin T. Martin of Cameron, North Carolina. 

    Speaking at a news conference Sunday morning, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said the security detail detected that an individual had made his way into the inner perimeter of Mar-a-Lago at around 1:30 a.m. near a gate on the north side.

    “A deputy and two Secret Service agents on the detail went to that area to investigate,” Bradshaw said. “They confronted a white male that was carrying a gas can and a shotgun.”

    Bradshaw said the individual was ordered to drop the gas can and shotgun, at which point he put down the gas can and “raised the shotgun to a shooting position.” The deputy and Secret Service agents then fired their weapons and “neutralized the threat,” Bradshaw said. He said the man was declared dead at the scene. 

    Officials are investigating whether Martin purchased the shotgun along his driving route from North Carolina to Florida. His family reported him missing to authorities on Saturday. He had no known prior law-enforcement history, and investigators say the motive remains unknown.

    Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Rafael Barros of the U.S. Secret Service Miami Field Office said no law enforcement personnel were injured during the incident. 

    The Secret Service noted that no protectees were present at the location during the incident. The Secret Service agents involved have been placed on routine administrative status pending review, which is standard after an officer-involved shooting. The president remained in Washington this weekend. 

    Bradshaw said the FBI is leading the investigation into the incident, assisted by the Secret Service and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. 

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  • Illinois man charged with threatening President Trump in Instagram video

    A man from northern Illinois has been arrested on federal charges, accused of threatening President Trump in a video he posted online, saying the president “should be executed.”

    Trent Schneider, 57, was arrested by a Lake County Sheriff’s SWAT team on Monday at his home in Winthrop Harbor, and was handed over to federal authorities. 

    According to a criminal complaint unsealed on Monday, he is charged with one count of “making a true threat to injure another person in interstate commerce.”

    Schneider is accused of posting an Instagram video of himself on Oct. 16, in which he allegedly stated: “I’m going to get some guns. I know where I can get a lot of f***ing guns and I am going to take care of business myself. I’m tired of all you f***ing frauds. People need to f***ing die and people are going to die. F*** all of you, especially you Trump. You should be executed.”

    The video included the caption: “THIS IS 3 NOT A THREAT!!! ࡓ AFTER LOSING EVERYTHING and My House Auction date is 11.04.2025 @realDonaldTrump SHOULD BE EXECUTED!!! ࡓ SHE IS A #FRAUD and a #COWARD!!! ૠ SHE CARES NOTHING ABOUT YOU or ME!!!”

    According to the charges, Schneider posted the same video online 18 times between Oct. 16 and Oct. 21. He’s also accused of posting multiple violent messages about public officials on social media in 2022.

    He’s also accused of posting a picture featuring a cartoon image of Trump, saying he “should be executed” approximately 20 times between Sept. 26 and Oct. 21.

    Federal agents questioned Schneider at his home on Oct. 22, and when asked if he had posted threats online, he “became irate and started yelling for the officers to get off his property,” according to the charges. About an hour after the agents left his home, he posted a video of them walking down his driveway, along with another threat saying the president “SHOULD BE EXECUTED!!!”

    The Secret Service reached out to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office to assist in executing a search warrant and arrest warrant at Schneider’s home on Monday. They requested a SWAT team to help take Schneider into custody, and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said he was arrested without incident.

    During Schneider’s first court appearance on Monday, Schneider asked if he could be put up in the “Trump motel,” “with popcorn,” until his detention hearing, scheduled for Thursday.

    Schneider also mentioned that one of his posts was taken down and put back up. He also discussed his mental health multiple times during Monday’s hearing.

    Schneider has a lengthy criminal history, according to federal court officials. In December 2022, he was arrested after threatening to “shoot up” a T-Mobile store, but was later found unfit to stand trial, according to the charges filed on Monday.

    He has been ordered to remain in federal custody until his next court hearing on Thursday at 2 p.m. 

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  • Federal security efforts in full tilt ahead of Charlie Kirk’s memorial service

    Glendale, Arizona — State Farm Stadium in Glendale, home of the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals, can hold more than 63,000 people. But police are anticipating more than 100,000 people coming to the stadium Sunday in an effort to attend the memorial service for conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated last week on a college campus in Utah.

    As a result, the organization Kirk co-founded, Turning Point USA, has also reserved the venue next door, the Desert Diamond Arena, for overflow. Desert Diamond, home to Arizona’s former NHL team, the Coyotes, seats about 18,000. 

    President Trump, Vice President JD Vance and other top administration officials are expected to be in attendance.

    Workers on Sept. 19, 2025, install security fencing near State Farm Stadium, home of the Arizona Cardinals, as it is prepares to host a memorial service for Charlie Kirk in Glendale, Arizona.

    Joe Raedle / Getty Images


    Multiple federal law enforcement agencies issued a security assessment to state and local law enforcement that was obtained by CBS News on Friday and indicated they are tracking “several threats of unknown credibility” against those planning to attend Sunday’s memorial. 

    However, the bulletin emphasized that there is “no information suggesting a verified or credible plot against the event.”

    The agencies that released the bulletin include the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis, and the U.S. Secret Service.  

    “Violent extremists and unaffiliated lone offenders may view the memorial service or related events as attractive attack targets due to the attendance of these individuals, other senior US government officials, state and local government officials, and political activists and due to major international media attention,” the bulletin reads.

    CBS News reached out to DHS and the Secret Service for any additional comment on the bulletin, which was first reported by ABC News.

    The U.S. Secret Service is the “Federal Coordinator” for the memorial’s security, William Mack, the Secret Service special agent in charge of the Phoenix field office, told CBS News in a statement, adding that the agency will work “side-by-side with state, local, and federal partners.”

    “Not only are we handling the security for this event outside of the venue, we still have an entire city that we still have to protect,” Jose Santiago, spokesperson for the Glendale Police Department, told CBS News on Friday. 

    DHS has designated the service with a Special Event Assessment Rating Level 1, or SEAR-1, which is on par with the Super Bowl.

    “This designation is reserved for events of the highest national significance and enables the federal government to provide the full range of law enforcement and security resources necessary to support local officials in ensuring a safe and successful event,” a DHS senior official told CBS News in a statement.

    SEAR-1, though, is not the highest security event designation from DHS. That is known as a National Special Security Event, or NSSE.  

    Security measures on Sunday include uniformed and plain-clothes officers, drones and 300 cameras for surveillance, Santiago said. There will also be counterterrorism sniper teams, federal law enforcement sources told CBS News. 

    “The only difference here is when you have something like the Super Bowl, we had upwards of two years to plan an event like that,” Santiago said. “This, we had a week to work with…We are basically all hands on deck.”

    Kris Van Cleave

    Emmy Award-winning journalist Kris Van Cleave is the senior transportation correspondent for CBS News based in Phoenix, Arizona, where he also serves as a national correspondent reporting for all CBS News broadcasts and platforms.

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  • White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt now has Secret Service detail, multiple sources say




































    White House requests $58M for more security



    White House requests $58 million for security funding after Charlie Kirk shooting, sources say

    04:12

    White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was given a U.S. Secret Service protective detail in recent days, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. 

    The move comes in the wake of the shooting of prominent conservative activist Charlie Kirk, which sparked a conversation about the safety of high-profile individuals in public settings. 

    Leavitt declined to comment. The Secret Service has not yet responded to CBS News’ request for comment. 

    Congress is currently considering providing $58 million in additional funding to increase security for officials in the executive and judicial branches. 

    While it’s uncommon for White House press secretaries to have a protective detail, it’s not unprecedented.

    Sarah Huckabee Sanders, now the governor of Arkansas, was temporarily assigned a Secret Service detail at her home in 2018 while serving as President Trump’s spokesperson during his first term. The assignment was made after Sanders was refused service at a restaurant in Lexington, Virginia. She tweeted about the incident, which caused an uproar on social media.  

    Jennifer Jacobs

    Jennifer Jacobs is a senior White House reporter at CBS News.

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  • Trump assassination attempt suspect representing himself in trial, forfeits opening statement

    Opening statements began Thursday in the trial for a man accused of trying to assassinate President Trump last year in South Florida. Ryan Routh is representing himself in court. CBS News legal reporter Katrina Kaufman has more.

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  • Judge cuts off Ryan Routh’s opening statement in unusual day at Trump assassination attempt trial



    Judge cuts off Ryan Routh’s opening statement in unusual day at Trump assassination attempt trial – CBS News










































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    The trial for the Florida man accused of attempting to assassinate then-candidate Donald Trump began on Thursday. CBS News legal reporter Katrina Kaufman has the details.

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  • Trump returns to Butler, Pennsylvania, for a rally today. Here’s how Secret Service will secure the event.

    Trump returns to Butler, Pennsylvania, for a rally today. Here’s how Secret Service will secure the event.

    When former President Donald Trump takes the stage once again Saturday in Butler, Pennsylvania, the security apparatus around the GOP nominee will look starkly different from the day of the first assassination attempt against him, when he took cover behind his podium as a gunman opened fire. 

    Secret Service and the second Butler rally

    U.S. Secret Service personnel will be stationed both inside and outside of the secure perimeter. That area includes the roof of a glass company warehouse where investigators say 20-year-old Thomas Crooks fired off eight rounds on July 13, grazing Trump’s ear, killing one attendee and injuring two others. 

    “Since the attempted assassination of former President Trump on July 13, the U.S. Secret Service has made comprehensive changes and enhancements to our communications capabilities, resourcing, and protective operations,” U.S. Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement. “Today, the former President is receiving heightened protection and we take the responsibility to ensure his safety and security very seriously.”

    Federal law enforcement and local police began planning for Trump’s return to Butler roughly two weeks ago, multiple law enforcement officials told CBS News. The first in-person planning meeting with local law enforcement took place earlier this week, on Monday. 

    “Regarding the October 5 event in Butler, we are coordinating closely with the Pennsylvania State Police as well as local law enforcement in and around Butler Township,” Guglielmi added. “We are also leveraging other federal security resources to expand personnel and technology.”

    Those federal resources will include agents from the Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations, who will stand post inside and outside the security perimeter. TSA agents will be working the magnetometers along the perimeter of the site, according to law enforcement sources. 

    And while the 45th president’s security footprint will include more personnel and assets — complete with counter sniper teams, enhanced counter drone technology and counter assault teams — there will also be additional Pennsylvania State Police officers on site, with tactical team members blended alongside U.S. Secret Service teams throughout the event. 

    Senate report on Secret Service and Trump Butler rally

    Last month, an interim Senate report identified planning, communications and security failures in the U.S. Secret Service’s efforts during former President Donald Trump’s July rally that “directly contributed” to the assassination attempt against him. 

    The joint investigation of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations indicated that several Secret Service officials experienced chronic problems with their radios on July 13. In one notable instance, a Secret Service countersniper was offered a local radio to help with communications throughout the day, but he didn’t have time to pick it up because he was working on “fixing” his own Secret Service radio. Because of failures of radios on site in Butler, the special agent in charge gave away his radio to a lead advance agent and went without one for the rest of the day, the report said. 

    Trump’s detail now travels with a radio communications specialist from the U.S. Secret Service’s Office of the Chief Information Officer, whose primary purpose is to share real-time information with Trump’s team, as relayed on all law enforcement radio channels, according to multiple law enforcement sources. 

    Addressing Butler rally site vulnerabilities

    A number of tall buildings lining the perimeter of the Butler Farm Show create line-of-sight vulnerabilities for Trump. The Secret Service is mitigating that threat with stage enhancements, rows of farm vehicles parked around the rally site and bulletproof glass, according to the sources. 

    Unlike the July 13 rally, members of the U.S. Secret Service, Pennsylvania State Police and Butler County Police will sit together in a unified command post. 

    Trump in Butler amid assassination threats from Iran

    The two attempts on Trump’s life followed the arrest of a Pakistani national with ties to Iran, charged with allegedly plotting a murder-for-hire scheme targeting current and former U.S. officials, including Trump. 

    Matthew Olsen, head of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, said in an interview with CBS News Thursday that the U.S. government has been “intensely tracking Iranian lethal plotting efforts targeting former and current U.S. government officials — and that includes the former president.” 

    Olsen added, “I would say that we are very concerned — gravely concerned — about Iranian plotting.” Last month, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence briefed Trump on “real and specific threats from Iran to assassinate him.”

    “I think we’ve been very, very clear that that is a threat vector that we are extremely concerned about monitoring very closely, working to gain as much information and fidelity on as we possibly can,” a senior DHS official told CBS News in a reporter briefing, Wednesday. “That is a U.S. government-wide effort to involve all of our partners across the United States government.” 

    A Homeland Threat Assessment released by the Department of Homeland Security Wednesday stated that Iran “maintains its intent to kill US government officials it deems responsible for the 2020 death of its Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC)-Quds Force Commander and designated foreign terrorist Qassem Soleimani,” an action carried out during the Trump administration.  

    “It is no secret that this is a challenge we are confronting on a daily basis right now,” the DHS senior official added.

    Authorities anticipate roughly 25,000-30,000 will be attending the rally Saturday. 

    Nikole Killion, Daniel Klaidman, Clare Hymes, and Michael Kaplan contributed reporting. 

    Michael Kaplan,

    Daniel Klaidman,

    Nikole Killion and

    Clare Hymes

    contributed to this report.

    Nicole Sganga

    Nicole Sganga is a CBS News reporter covering homeland security and justice.

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  • JFK’s Secret Service agent still doesn’t know if there was “something I could have done” to protect president

    JFK’s Secret Service agent still doesn’t know if there was “something I could have done” to protect president

    The Secret Service agent who jumped onto President John F. Kennedy’s car after he was shot in 1963 has just two words that he wants people to remember: “I tried.”

    Clint Hill’s 1975 interview with 60 Minutes correspondent Mike Wallace helped the former agent come to terms with the assassination of JFK, he told “60 Minutes: A Second Look” host and CBS News correspondent Seth Doane. Wallace was the first person Hill spoke with in detail publicly about the horrific events of Nov. 22, 1963.

    Images from that day show Hill climbing atop the presidential limousine to protect first lady Jacqueline Kennedy. Hill blamed himself for JFK’s death at the time of his interview with Wallace, saying that if only he’d reacted “five-tenths of a second faster,” the president would be alive.

    Doane asked if Hill, now 92, still blames himself. 

    “Well, maybe there was something I could have done,” Hill said. “I don’t know anymore.”

    Hill on working to come to terms with the Kennedy assassination

    Hill was 43 and recently retired when he did his 1975 interview with Wallace. Twenty years after that, Wallace wrote to Hill and asked for another interview. Hill wrote a letter back to Wallace. 

    60 Minutes
    Mike Wallace (at right) interviews former agent Clint Hill and Gwen Hill. Image dated October 14, 1975. New York, NY.

    Photo by CBS via Getty Images


    “My interview with you on 60 Minutes in 1975 turned into much more of an emotional experience than I thought possible,” Hill wrote at the time. “It did turn out to be a cathartic experience for me and helped me release feelings that had been pent up for a long time.”

    Hill told Doane that he thinks if it hadn’t been for his interview with Wallace, he “would have just lingered in a horrible situation and never come out of it, probably.”

    To this day, Hill said he still hasn’t completely forgiven himself. 

    “My dad drilled into me that when you’re given an assignment to do, you do it ’till it’s fully finished,” Hill told Doane. “I had an assignment to keep the president and Mrs. Kennedy alive. I only kept one of them alive. One died on my watch.”

    Hill gets hundreds of letters after 60 Minutes interview

    Hundreds of viewers sent in mail after Hill’s interview with 60 Minutes. Those letters were passed on to Hill. Until five years ago, he didn’t remember those letters. But when he was preparing to sell his home in 2019, Hill’s wife, Lisa McCubbin Hill, said they should short through old belongings. 

    They found a battered black trunk in the garage with 17 years of presidential knick knacks, a stack of framed photos, and hundreds of letters. The couple brought around 25 of the letters along with them when they moved to California. There was one in particular that Hill wanted to read to “60 Minutes: A Second Look.”

    “It is a day I shall never forget, nor shall I forget the people so deeply involved in the events of that day. And as I watched you on 60 Minutes, I wanted to reach out and wrap you in my arms to offer some comfort,” Hill read from the letter. “But no one who suffered that tremendous loss that day can even feel comfort,  and I know you feel that.”

    “It offered me, like she said, I wish she could wrap her arms around me and get my thoughts to go away about that day,” he said. “And I do, too. They never will.”

    Never been broadcast: What “no other reporter would have asked” Hill

    The new episode of “60 Minutes: A Second Look” included audio from Hill’s interview with Wallace that had never before been broadcast. While the “Secret Service Agent #9” broadcast in 1975 lasted just 16 minutes, 60 Minutes podcast producer Julie Holstein worked with CBS News archivists to find hours of film recorded during the production of the story. 

    Holstein found a recording of Wallace asking Hill a question that she says “no other reporter would have asked” Hill in 1975.

    “What do you do about, about some of the private occasions when they want nobody else to know what’s going on? If they’re, whether it’s in the White House or whether it’s in a hotel out of town, or…and you know, you know what I’m talking about and you know who I’m talking about,” Wallace said in recordings from the archives. 

    Gwen Hill, Clint Hill’s first wife, who died in 2021, can be heard clearing her throat. Clint Hill wiggles around. His mic scratched his chest. 

    “Nobody knows about those occasions,” Hill said in the 1975 recording. 

    Wallace pressed Hill: “You do. How do you manage it?”

    Hill responded with a laugh: “Very carefully.”

    Seth Doane


    headshot-600-seth-doane.jpg

    Seth Doane is an award-winning CBS News correspondent based in Rome, Italy since 2016. Doane has covered terrorist attacks and breaking news across Europe, traveled with Pope Francis as part of his coverage of the Vatican, and has reported on issues ranging from migration to climate change.

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  • Person in custody after report of gunshots fired in vicinity of Trump, sources say

    Person in custody after report of gunshots fired in vicinity of Trump, sources say

    Person in custody after report of gunshots fired in vicinity of Trump, sources say – CBS News


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    A person with high powered rifle was seen pointing the gun toward a Florida golf course where former President Donald Trump was golfing, sources tell CBS News. Secret Service agents fired multiple shots at the suspect, who attempted to run. One person is in custody, the sources said. The Trump campaign says Trump is safe.

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  • Trump to resume outdoor rallies with bulletproof glass

    Trump to resume outdoor rallies with bulletproof glass

    The U.S. Secret Service is arranging for former President Donald Trump to resume outdoor campaign rallies a month after a gunman targeted him at a rally in Pennsylvania.  

    The Secret Service plans to surround Trump’s podium with bulletproof glass, according to two federal law enforcement officials.

    While this measure is typically used to protect sitting presidents, the Secret Service is making an exception after the Butler, Pennsylvania, rally on July 13, when the gunman took several shots at Trump, grazing his ear before a Secret Service sniper killed him.

    The plan was first set into motion by then-Secret Service director Kim Cheatle in the immediate aftermath of the rally. The Secret Service typically pre-positions personnel around the country in battleground states so they can be within driving distance of campaign rallies, which enables faster transportation of the ballistic glass to events. 

    The Secret Service declined to comment on its reported plans. 

    Within weeks after the shooting, Trump vowed to continue appearing at outdoor rallies and said the Secret Service had “agreed to substantially step up” its operation. The Secret Service had already increased its security efforts around Trump — in fact, the Butler rally was the first event of the 2024 campaign where the agency’s highly trained counter snipers were deployed to secure a campaign event for the former president. 

    But the event was plagued by security lapses, and in the wake of the attempt on Trump’s life, Cheatle resigned. The acting Secret Service Ronald Rowe disclosed that Secret Service counter snipers did not have radio communications with local law enforcement that day. Instead, the agents relied on text messaging, with local Butler County tactical teams sending Secret Service snipers two pictures of Crooks via text message at 5:45 p.m., about 26 minutes before shots were fired. 

    The Department of Homeland Security is assisting the Secret Service in establishing a committee to explore the permanent creation of a uniform communication channel. This would enable the Secret Service, federal law enforcement officials and state and local law enforcement officials assisting the agency to radio one another with greater ease, allowing communication between law enforcement entities that typically transmit messages on separate frequencies. 

    The panel is still being assembled, with assistance from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and will be led by Heather Fong, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ senior counselor for law enforcement and acting assistant secretary for the Office for State & Local Law Enforcement. Fong is also a former San Francisco chief of police. 

    Notably, Rowe has conceded that problems with communications among law enforcement agencies on July 13 delayed critical information from being relayed to the Secret Service as local law enforcement pursued the gunman in the minutes leading up to the shooting. 

    Nicole Sganga

    Nicole Sganga is a CBS News reporter covering homeland security and justice.

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  • Officers were notified of Trump shooter earlier than known, texts reveal

    Officers were notified of Trump shooter earlier than known, texts reveal

    Officers were notified of Trump shooter earlier than known, texts reveal – CBS News


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    Newly released text messages reveal counter snipers knew about the gunman who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump earlier than previously known. The texts show officers were first informed of a suspicious individual more than 90 minutes before the shooting. CBS News congressional correspondent Scott MacFarlane reports.

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  • Secret Service agent assigned to Kamala Harris hospitalized after exhibiting

    Secret Service agent assigned to Kamala Harris hospitalized after exhibiting

    Washington — A U.S. Secret Service agent assigned to Vice President Kamala Harris exhibited “distressing behavior” Monday morning at Joint Base Andrews and was hospitalized, authorities said. Harris was not present at the airbase at the time.

    In a statement provided to CBS News, the U.S. Secret Service said that at about 9 a.m. local time Monday, the agent “began displaying behavior their colleagues found distressing. The agent was removed from their assignment while medical personnel were summoned.”

    Two sources briefed on the situation told CBS News the agent spouted gibberish, was speaking incoherently and provoked another officer physically.

    According to sources, the agent in question pushed the special agent in charge while they were near the lounge of Joint Base Andrews.

    Harris was at the Naval Observatory at the time, USSS said, and the incident had “no impact on her departure from Joint Base Andrews.” Sources said it occurred about one hour before Harris arrived at the airbase for a flight to Wisconsin.

    The agent was immediately handcuffed and detained by other Secret Service agents who intervened, sources said, and ambulances were called to the scene.

    After an initial medical evaluation, the agent were admitted to a hospital, sources said. There was no indication of substance use at this time, they added.

    The USSS remains in a temporary holding pattern until further information becomes available, the sources said. After the agent receives additional medical attention and further evaluation, it will be determined if they can return to work. An internal review will be conducted and the USSS will assess if the agent’s top secret security clearance will be removed for medical or disciplinary reasons, sources explained.

    The sources also disclosed that, at this time, this is being treated as a medical incident and not a disciplinary matter, given the nature of the clear mental health challenges exhibited by the agent. 

    Nicole Sganga

    CBS News reporter covering homeland security and justice.

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  • Secret Service officials to testify before grand jury in Trump documents probe, source says

    Secret Service officials to testify before grand jury in Trump documents probe, source says

    Mike Pence won’t appeal grand jury subpoena


    Mike Pence won’t fight subpoena to testify in special counsel probe

    04:20

    A handful of current and former U.S. Secret Service officials are set to testify on Friday before a Washington, D.C., grand jury as part of the special counsel investigation into last year’s FBI search at former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in which classified documents were seized, a source familiar with the ongoing investigation told CBS News.

    Multiple current and multiple former USSS officials are expected to testify, the source said, declining to provide an exact number.

    The grand jury proceedings are part of special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into the Mar-a-Lago search. Last November, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Smith to oversee the Justice Department’s investigation into the Mar-a-Lago search, along with the agency’s investigation into Trump’s role in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.

    Last week, a judge ordered Trump attorney Evan Corcoran to also testify before the grand jury in connection with the Aug. 8 Mar-a-Lago search in which the FBI seized 33 boxes, including dozens of documents with classified markings that were supposed to have been handed over to the National Archives.  

    The source told CBS News that this is believed to be the first appearance of USSS officials, either current or former, before the D.C. grand jury, but stressed it is likely not the last.

    Several other USSS officials will be slated to appear in the coming weeks, the source said, and some have not yet been approached by the FBI.

    CBS News has reached out to USSS for comment. Friday’s scheduled testimony was first reported by Fox News. 

    Nicole Sganga

    CBS News reporter covering homeland security and justice.

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  • Secret Service officials to testify before House Jan. 6 committee, sources say

    Secret Service officials to testify before House Jan. 6 committee, sources say

    The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol is planning to interview key Secret Service officials and agents in the coming weeks, two sources briefed on the ongoing investigation tell CBS News. 

    The committee will bring back former Secret Service Assistant Director Tony Ornato, who is now retired, and Robert Engel, former President Trump’s lead Secret Service agent on Jan. 6. Both men have already been interviewed by the committee, but they were both mentioned in blockbuster public testimony by former Trump aide Cassidy Hutchinson. 

    Hutchinson testified on June 28 that Ornato told her that the president became “irate” on Jan. 6 when he was told in his vehicle that he could not go to the Capitol. Hutchinson testified that Ornato told her Trump said something to the effect of “I’m the effing president, take me up to the Capitol now.” Hutchinson also testified Ornato said that when Trump was told he had to return to the White House, he reached up to the front of the vehicle to grab at the steering wheel, prompting Engel to grab his arm, and that then Trump used his free hand to lunge toward Engel. She said Engel was in the room when Ornato told her this and he did not dispute it. 

    A source close to the Secret Service told confirmed to CBS News that Engel and the driver were prepared to testify under oath that neither man was physically attacked or assaulted by Trump and that the former president never lunged for the steering wheel of the vehicle. The source did not dispute that Trump demanded to be taken to the Capitol or his language. 

    TOPSHOT-US-POLITICS-ELECTION-TRUMP
    TOPSHOT – US President Donald Trump arrives to speak to supporters from The Ellipse near the White House on January 6, 2021, in Washington, DC. 

    BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images


    Katie Driscoll, an attorney for Ornato, said in a statement to CBS News that “Mr. Ornato continues to cooperate in the Jan. 6 select committee’s investigation.” 

    CNN was the first to report the planned interviews.   

    Other witnesses who will testify in the coming weeks include Kimberly Cheatle, the current Secret Service director who served as assistant director of protective operations on Jan. 6; Anthony Guglielmi, current chief of communications; Timothy Giebels, the lead of former Vice President Mike Pence’s security detail; and the unnamed driver of Trump’s vehicle on that day. 

    It’s not yet clear if the former and current Secret Service officials will testify before the committee in a public setting or behind closed doors. 

    Cheatle and Engel were among those whose phones were turned over to the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general, as part of DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari’s investigation into missing Secret Service text messages from Jan. 5 and Jan. 6, 2021. The agents’ text messages were previously subpoenaed by the inspector general and the House select committee investigating the Capitol riot. 

    The committee has issued a subpoena to the former president, as the committee’s end-of-year deadline to complete its work rapidly approaches. Trump has not yet publicly responded. 

    Nicole Sganga

    CBS News reporter covering homeland security and justice.

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