Secret Service Responds To Claim of Alleged Obama ‘Security Lapse’

The U.S. Secret Service told Newsweek that reports about a “security lapse” in former President Barack Obama’s security detail over the weekend are “inaccurate.”
TMZ reported on Wednesday that its reporters spoke to a security guard who was working at an event above a restaurant that the former president attended in Los Angeles on Saturday evening. The guard, who remained nameless, said that he approached the SUV transporting Obama without being stopped by Secret Security agents. He reported that two agents were standing away from the vehicle in an alleyway when he approached the former president’s transport.
The guard said he saw Obama in the back of the vehicle using a laptop, according to the TMZ report. The man said that he was armed at the time and quickly backed away from the vehicle once he recognized the former president.
He told the news outlet that the incident appeared to be “a security lapse” by the Secret Service because “there was no one on the backside of SUV.” The guard also shared a photo with the outlet that he said was taken when he first approached the vehicle.
A spokesperson for the Secret Service told Newsweek over email, however, that the report was inaccurate.
“The Secret Service cannot provide the details on our means and methods of protection, but we can confirm that at no time were any Secret Service protectees in the vehicle while the individual was walking down the alleyway,” the spokesperson said on Wednesday. “These claims are inaccurate.”
The Secret Service spokesperson added that the “photo in question was upon departure and not during the alleged incident.”
The security guard who spoke with TMZ said that about 30 minutes after the alleged interaction, Secret Service agents asked to see his credentials and license to carry a concealed weapon. Newsweek reached out to the Secret Service via email for confirmation on whether agents ever interacted with the man in question.
The report comes as the Secret Service is facing increased scrutiny over its security protocols in light of the assassination attempt at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Bulter, Pennsylvania, on July 13. Trump’s right ear was grazed and one rally attendee was killed in the gunfire.
The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs released a report Wednesday outlining several “failures” in security at the rally, including miscommunication between agents and local law enforcement officers who assisted in securing the area.
“Every single one of those failures was preventable and the consequences of those failures were dire,” committee Chairman Senator Gary Peters of Michigan said on Wednesday.
The Secret Service also confirmed with Newsweek on Wednesday that it was investigating allegations that an active-duty agent sexually assaulted a member of Vice President Kamala Harris’ staff. Four sources who spoke with Real Clear Politics said the alleged assault happened last week while several of Harris’ staff were dining at a restaurant in Green Bay, Wisconsin, with an agent.
Update 09/25/24, 5:28 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional information and background.