ADMINISTRATION POSSIBLY HAVE
CONFIDENCE IN THAT MISSION UNDER
THESE CIRCUMSTANCES?
JOINING US NOW IS "WASHINGTON
POST" REPORTER CAROL LEONNIG.
SHE IS THE AUTHOR OF THE NEW
BOOK "ZERO FAIL: THE RISE AND
FALL OF THE SECRET SERVICE."
MS. LEONNIG, CONGRATULATIONS ON
THIS NEW BOOK.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE
TONIGHT ON THE EVE OF YOUR PUB
DATE.
I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU TAKING
THE TIME.
>> THANKS FOR HITTING ALL THE
REALLY IMPORTANT POINTS OF THE
BOOK, RACHEL.
YOU KNOW, YOU SUPPORTED THIS
REPORTING EARLY ON.
YOU FOCUSED ON IT WAY BACK IN
2014.
AND IM GLAD TO BE HERE TO SHARE
EVERYTHING ELSE IVE LEARNED
SINCE THEN.
>> WELL, THANK YOU FOR SAYING
THAT.
FIRST OF ALL, IM GOING TO HOLD
UP THE BOOK SO PEOPLE CAN KEY ON
WHAT IT LOOK LINEBACKERS TOO,
BECAUSE YOU SHOULD BUY IT.
THIS IS ONE OF THOSE BOOKS THAT
WILL GO DOWN AS SORT OF THE
SEMINOLE WORK, THE DETERMINATIVE
WORK IN THIS FIELD.
I HAVE TO SAY, CAROL, MORE THAN
ANY OTHER INDIVIDUAL ANECDOTE,
OR ANY INDIVIDUAL SCARE THAT I
READ ABOUT IN THE BOOK, ALL OF
WHICH HAVE STUCK WITH ME, MORE
THAN THAT, I AM STRUCK BY A
GNAWING FEAR THAT THIS AGENCY,
FOR ALL SORTS OF INTERESTING AND
EXPLICABLE REASONS ISNT THAT
GOOD AT WHAT THEY DO, THAT
THEYRE KIND OF A HOT MESS.
AND IT MAKES ME FEARFUL FOR THE
CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.
I HAVE TO ASK IF THATS WHERE
YOU HAVE ALSO LANDED OVERALL IN
TAKING THIS DEEP LOOK AT THIS
AGENCY.
>> YES.
I FEAR THAT THE REASON, THE
COMPULSION TO WRITE THIS BOOK
WAS BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, I LANDED
IN THIS BEAT BY ACCIDENT.
I WAS COVERING WHAT WAS THEN THE
MOST HUMILIATING SCANDAL IN THE
SECRET SERVICES HISTORY, THE
HOOKERGATE OF CART HEYNAANE CART
AGENTS HAVING HOOKERS IN THEIR
ROOM GETTING SMASHED WHILE
THEYRE SUPPOSED TO BE SECURING
THE CITY FOR PRESIDENT OBAMAS
ARRIVAL.
BUT WHAT I FOUND IN TALKING TO
THESE AGENTS AND MEETING MORE OF
THEM AND MEETING MORE OF THEM,
THERE IS MUCH SOMETHING MUCH
MORE HORRIFYING BEHIND THAT
CURTAIN, AND THEY REALLY FEARED
THE PRESIDENT WOULD BE SHOT AND
KILLED ON THEIR WATCH.
THEY KNEW THEY WERE BEING RUN
RAGGED.
THEY KNEW THEIR TOOLS WERE
OUTDATED.
AND THEY COULDNT DELIVER ON
WHAT THEY KNEW WAS A ZERO FAIL
MISSION.
THEY CANT LOSE ONE TIME AND YET
THEYRE GASPING TO TRY TO KEEP
UP.
>> YOU REPORT THAT ON THAT LAST
POINT THAT I WAS DISCUSSING,
THAT THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION
WENT SO FAR AS TO ASK FOR THE
ENTIRE PRESIDENTIAL DETAIL TO BE
SWITCHED OUT ESSENTIALLY BETWEEN
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION AND THE
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION, IN PART
BECAUSE OF THE WORRIES THAT AT
LEAST SOME ELEMENTS OF THE
SECRET SERVICE MAY HAVE BEEN
CORRUPTED, MAY HAVE BEEN BROUGHT
OVER TO ONE POLITICAL SIDE
DURING THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION.
WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THAT
REQUEST AND HOW THAT WAS
ULTIMATELY RESOLVED?
>> THERE WERE TRANSITION
ADVISERS WHO WERE HAVING
INFORMAL CONVERSATIONS WITH
PEOPLE THEY KNEW INSIDE THE
SECRET SERVICE, PEOPLE THEY KNEW
FROM PREVIOUS TIMES, AGENTS WHO
PROTECTED BIDEN WHEN HE WAS VICE
PRESIDENT.
AND WHAT THEY WERE HEARING WAS
MAKING THEIR SKIN CRAWL.
THERE WERE PEOPLE WHO WERE
SUPERVISORS ON THE DETAIL WHO
HAD MAGA HATS IN THEIR OFFICES.
THERE WERE AGENTS ON THE
PROTECTIVE DETAIL WHO WERE ALL
WEARING RED TIES ON THE DAY OF
THE ELECTION IN SOLIDARITY WITH
PRESIDENT TRUMP.
AND AS YOUVE SHARED FROM MY
BOOK, THERE WERE SOCIAL MEDIA
POSTINGS IN WHICH, AGAIN,
MEMBERS OF THE PRESIDENTIAL
PROTECTION DIVISION WERE
CHAMPIONING AND CHEERING THE
ATTACK ON THE CAPITOL,
QUESTIONING WHETHER OR NOT
PRESIDENT BIDEN, PRESIDENT-ELECT
BIDEN AT THAT POINT WAS
LEGITIMATELY ELECTED.
YOU KNOW, IF THE MOST ELITE
PROTECTION AGENCY IN THE WORLD
IS QUESTIONING WHETHER OR NOT
BIDEN IS PRESIDENT, THERE IS A
REASON TO BE CONCERNED, AT LEAST
ON THE PART OF THE TRANSITION
ADVISERS ABOUT WHETHER HE IS
SAFE IN THEIR ARMS.
AT THE END OF THE DAY, THE
SECRET SERVICE DID CHANGE MANY
OF THE SUPERVISORS OF THAT
DETAIL, MANY OF THEM TO INSTALL
PEOPLE THAT JOE BIDEN KNEW FROM
PREVIOUS ERAS FROM WHEN HE WAS
VICE PRESIDENT SO HE WOULD HAVE
SOME COMFORT OF THE FAMILIAR,
COMFORT OF PEOPLE THAT HAD
PROTECTED HIM IN THE PAST AND
PROTECTED JILL BIDEN IN THE
PAST.
>> WHAT WAS THE ULTIMATE
DISPOSITION OF THE SECRET
SERVICE OFFICIAL AGENT WHO WAS
MOVED INTO THE TRUMP WHITE HOUSE
TO TAKE A POLITICAL ROLE AND
THEN MOVED RIGHT BACK INTO THE
SECRET SERVICE AS IF HE COULD
STILL THEN PLAY SOME SORT OF
NONPARTISAN TECHNOCRATIC ROLE?
I HAD KNOWN SOMETHING ABOUT THAT
STORY.
I HAD NOT KNOWN THAT HE HAD
MOVED BACK TO THE SECRET SERVICE
AS AN ASSISTANT DIRECTOR.
>> HES AN ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
FOR TRAINING.
HES VERY CLOSE TO THE DIRECTOR,
THE CURRENT DIRECTOR, JIM
MURRAY.
AT THE PRESIDENTS REQUEST, AT
PRESIDENT TRUMPS REQUEST, HE
LIKED HIS DETAIL LEADER SO MUCH,
TONY ORNATO THAT HE ASKED HIM TO
BE ALMOST TEMPORARILY ASSIGNED
ON A DETAIL AS THE DEPUTY WHITE
HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF.
IN THAT ROLE, THE DEPUTY CHIEF
OF STAFF AND FORMER SECRET
SERVICE LEADER WAS KEY IN
CLEARING THE LAFAYETTE PARK
OUTSIDE THE WHITE HOUSE FOR THE
JUNE 1 MARCH THAT THE PRESIDENT
HAD TO SHOW HOW TOUGH HE WAS AND
THAT HE WAS A LAW AND ORDER
PRESIDENT PREVAILING OVER THE
PROTESTERS OF GEORGE FLOYDS
MURDER.
HE -- THAT SAME DEPUTY WHITE
HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF WAS
CRITICAL IN PLANNING THE
PRESIDENTS RALLIES AS COVID
SPIKED.
AND THAT ULTIMATELY LED TO 300
SECRET SERVICE OFFICERS AND
AGENTS THAT SUMMER EITHER
CONTRACTING COVID OR BEING
EXPOSED TO COVID SO THEY HAD TO
QUARANTINE AWAY FROM THEIR
COWORKERS.
IT WAS SORT OF AN AMAZING THING.
IT INFURIATED SO MANY SECRET
SERVICE ALUMNI BECAUSE THIS IS
AN AGENCY THAT PRIDES ITSELF ON
OBJECTIVITY, POLITICAL
INDEPENDENCE.
AS THEY SAY IN THE AGENCY, YOU
KNOW, THE PEOPLE ELECT THEM.
WE JUST PROTECT THEM.
BUT IN THIS INSTANCE, YOU HAD A
SECRET SERVICE LEADER WORKING AS
A POLITICAL ENTITY AND ARM OF
PRESIDENT TRUMP.
>> YEAH.
ITS ONE THING TO THINK ABOUT
SOMEBODY EX-SECRET SERVICE THEN
TAKING ON A POLITICAL ROLE.
ITS A EWHOLE ANOTHER THING IF
THAT PERSON FINISHES THAT AND
GOES BACK TO THE SECRET SERVICE.
THATS THE PART OF IT THAT JUST
SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE AND INTOLERABLE
INTOLERABLE.
CAROL LENNICK, THE AUTHOR OF
"ZERO FAIL: THE RISE AND FALL OF