The House GOP Oversight Committee launched an investigation into potential DEI practices at the Secret Service on Thursday, citing "potential vulnerabilities" in the specialized security that protects US presidents and vice presidents.
In a letter to Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle released on Thursday, Chairman Comer wrote that the House GOP would be "investigating recent reports of potential vulnerabilities within the US Secret Service preventing it from fulfilling its mission to ensure the safety and security of its protectees."
An incident reported first by Real Clear Politics implicating alleged "DEI" practices at the Secret Service sparked the probe from the committee. Sources who spoke to RCP identified the agent in question as Michelle Herczeg who attacked a superior when she was on the job, being assigned to protect Kamala Harris.
She reportedly grabbed a senior Secret Service agent’s personal phone, which was later recovered, began mumbling to herself and hid behind some curtains at Joint Base Andrews, the base for Air Force One and Air Force Two. She also reportedly shoved her superior and tackled and punched him, all while having a gun in her holster which concerned her colleagues.
The letter from Comer detailed further that "This incident raised concerns within the agency about the hiring and screening process for this agent: specifically whether previous incidents in her work history were overlooked during the hiring process as years of staff shortages had led the agency to lower once stricter standards as part of a diversity, equity and inclusion effort."
Adding to the evidence for the probe, the House Oversight Committee cited another report that revealed a "petition circulating inside [Secret Service] that flags concerns about 'a number of recent Secret Service incidents indicative of inadequate training.'"
Comer set a deadline for a briefing on the matter with Director Cheatle prior to June 13 and said that the committee has a "broad authority" to investigate the matter.