A Secret Service agent tasked with protecting Vice President Kamala Harris was involved in a physical altercation with several other agents on Monday morning, the agency confirmed. The incident took place around 9 a.m. near Joint Base Andrews on the outskirts of Washington DC, prior to Harris’ arrival on the scene.
The agent in question, whose identity has not been revealed, was immediately “removed from their assignment,” the Secret Service told The Post. “A US Secret Service special agent supporting the Vice President’s departure from Joint Base Andrews began displaying behavior their colleagues found distressing,” Anthony Guglielmi, chief of communications for the US Secret Service, said to The Post. “The US Secret Service takes the safety and health of our employees very seriously.”
Medical personnel were called onto the scene, per Guglielmi. That agent had been at Joint Base Andrews to support Harris’ planned departure, but ultimately the scuffle did not delay her travel. Guglielmi added because it was a “medical matter,” the department would not “disclose any further details.”
Harris traveled to New York City where she was scheduled to tape an interview on “The Drew Barrymore Show.” According to the Washington Examiner, the agent who instigated the fight was armed and grew aggressive with others, prompting a detail shift supervisor and special agent in charge to intervene. However, the situation escalated into a physical altercation.
RealClearPolitics reported that the agent acted “erratically” when he arrived on the scene and eventually got on top of the special agent in charge of the vice president, then began punching him. Afterward, that unnamed agent was then reportedly handcuffed and received medical attention.
Following the incident, questions have been raised about the hiring process and background assessment of the agent involved. According to RealClearPolitics, there had been longstanding concerns about the individual prior to Monday’s incident.
Guglielmi confirmed that Harris was notified about the situation.
