John Oliver on the overstretched, underfunded Secret Service: ‘Actively reckless’
The Last Week Tonight host looked into the issues plaguing the Secret Service, from lack of funds to an insular culture
TL;DR
- The Secret Service faces a challenging period, with 2028 anticipated to be "Armageddon" due to overlapping major events like the LA Olympics and Paralympics, UN General Assembly, and presidential election campaigns.
- The agency's origin story is "inauspicious," formed by Lincoln just hours before his assassination, and initially tasked with combating counterfeit money before becoming presidential bodyguards in the early 20th century.
- Modern Secret Service agents handle presidential protection, investigations into counterfeiting, credit card skimming, and romance scams, leading to an "incredibly" broad and demanding mandate.
- Protective duties extend to families, vice presidents, former presidents, foreign dignitaries, and major candidates, often involving long hours, psychological burdens, and salaries capped by federal limits.
- The agency suffers from a "we do more with less" mentality, impacting manpower and resources, exemplified by training on a scaled-down replica White House built as a TV set.
- Increased threats, a 400% rise against the president since the Obama administration, have not been matched by adequate security measures, leading to breaches like a man entering the White House in 2014 and a 2011 sex worker scandal.
- The "Butler, Pennsylvania" incident, where a shooter accessed a nearby roof, highlighted systemic issues including overworked agents, insufficient rest, burnout, and attrition.
- An independent review concluded that "fundamental reform" is required to prevent future incidents, with Oliver advocating for a larger budget spent more wisely.
- Oliver stressed that persistent cultural problems require deeper intervention beyond just budget increases, stating the agency's insular culture and "doing more with less" approach is "actively reckless."