Trump Jr., Wife, and Conway No Longer Protected
Both Kellyanne Conway and Donald Trump Jr. will no longer be protected by the Secret Service. The Counselor to the President was provided with Secret Service protection during the early days of the Trump administration, but, according to The New York Times, the threat level has changed.
Donald Trump Jr. and wife Vanessa Trump, have opted out of Secret Service protection. It’s unclear who made the decision on Conway’s protection. The Times says the decisions are unrelated.
“Ms. Conway’s protection is not covered by statute,” the Time notes. “The president approved her protection after Ms. Conway received several threats in the administration’s early days. That threat assessment has since changed, the official briefed on the decision said.”
Meanwhile, Donald Trump Jr. has chosen to drop his protection for reasons of personal privacy.Â
“Mr. Trump, an avid camper and hunter, was said to be seeking more privacy than he can expect with a contingent of agents accompanying him everywhere.” Fox News reports Vanessa Trump’s protection is also being dropped.
Everywhere, for Donald Trump Jr. included multiple foreign trips overseas to various Trump properties. Last month the Secret Service acknowledged that it was running out of money to pay the 1000 agents assigned to protect the president and all 18 family members. In total, 42 people in the Trump family and administration have been receiving Secret Service protection. By comparison, 31 people in the Obama administration were receiving protection.
The president’s travel to his golf clubs, mostly Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, and Bedminister in New Jersey, are believed to cost tax payers millions each weekend. The president’s home at Trump Tower in Manhattan also receives round the clock protect, despite him almost never traveling there.
Secret Service agents may not be paid for many hours of overtime already worked, according to a USA Today report in August.
To comment on this article and other NCRM content, visit our Facebook page.
Image by Gage Skidmore via Flickr and a CC license
If you find NCRM valuable, would you please consider making a donation to support our independent journalism?
Â
Â