Secret Service investigating after agent reportedly abandoned post to breastfeed during NC Trump event

The Secret Service (USSS) is investigating after a female agent reportedly abandoned her post to breastfeed her baby during Donald Trump's campaign rally in North Carolina on Wednesday, several sources familiar with the matter told Real Clear Politics reporter Susan Crabtree. 

Sources told Crabtree that the agent did not provide notice about the situation. This comes after the Secret Service came under fire for its security failures during Trump's rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, which resulted in an assassination attempt on the now-GOP nominee.



In the lead up to the North Carolina rally, the USSS site agent - who is responsible for the security of the event - was preparing for the arrival of Trump's motorcade. The site agent conducted a final sweep of the walking route and discovered the agent breastfeeding her child in a room that is designated for essential Secret Service official work, such as a potential emergency, according to Crabtree.

It is prohibited for a working agent on duty for a protective assignment to bring a child with them. She also reportedly brought two additional family members who were present in the room with her when she was found breastfeeding her baby. The female agent works out of the Atlanta Field Office, as reported by Crabtree. The agent and her family members were reportedly escorted into the room by event staff, who had not received security clearance, after bypassing the Uniformed Division checkpoint.

"All employees of the US Secret Service are held to the highest standards," Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi told Crabtree in response to the incident. "While there was no impact to the North Carolina event, the specifics of this incident are being examined. Given this is a personnel matter, we are not in a position to comment further."

This matter adds to other controversies surrounding the USSS, where agents are trained to provide the most secure protection for leaders of the country. The former director of the USSS, Kim Cheatle, resigned following the assassination attempt on Trump.