An armed Secret Service officer assigned to Vice President Kamala Harris was removed from duty after he got into a physical fight with fellow agents on Monday, according to reports.
The agent, whose identity has not been revealed, began fighting fellow officers Monday morning after appearing for duty at Joint Base Andrew before the vice president arrived for a planned trip to Wisconsin, according to the Washington Examiner.
Sources said the special agent in charge and a detail shift supervisor tried to calm the agent after the official began exhibiting aggressive behavior, but the agent in question tackled the Senior Agent in Charge of security detail and began punching him.
US Vice President Kamala Harris waves as she boards Air Force Two on departure from Joint Base Andrews
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris makes her way to Air Force Two at Joint Base Andrews
Although the agent was armed, the weapon remained in the holster until the agent was disarmed by his colleagues.
The Secret Service confirmed an agent on the vice president’s detail began ‘displaying behavior their colleagues found distressing’ and was removed from duty on Monday.
Harris was at her home at the Naval Observatory when the incident occurred, according to the Secret Service, and there was no impact to her travel plans.
The official residence of the vice president of the United States on the ground of the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington.
A United States Secret Service officer on patrol
‘The U.S. Secret Service takes the safety and health of our employees very seriously. As this was a medical matter, we will not disclose any further details,’ Secret Service Chief of Communications Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement.
The protective divisions for the president and vice president are considered the most important duties of the Secret Service agency, as only the most qualified agents are typically appointed to the job.
The Washington Examiner revealed on social media that sources within the Secret Service questioned whether the agent in question was still on duty as a consequence of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices. Other agents were aware of previous incidents of strange behavior from the agent in question prior to the incident at the airport.