WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump just yanked former Vice President Kamala Harris’ Secret Service protective detail, just as she’s about to go on a national book tour. Harris joins the list of other former top U.S. officials and their family members to have this very expensive taxpayer-funded service revoked by the president.
This could put Harris, the first Black woman to serve as vice president, in danger given the gaps between the protection provided by the Secret Service and any private firm she likely would hire to continue her coverage, current and former Secret Service officials told USA TODAY on Aug. 29.
Private security will never provide the same level of protection as the Secret Service, these officials say.
More: Trump cancels Kamala Harris' Secret Service protection
“Obviously, the more you pay, the more you get,” said A.T. Smith, a private security consultant who was deputy director of the Secret Service from 2012 to 2015. “But I don’t think any of the firms would be able to rise to the level of the Secret Service simply because of all of the things that go into its protection.”
