‘The ultimate flashpoint’: Former officials address fears Trump will refuse to leave the White House

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The presidential election is over and the Electoral College has affirmed President-elect Joe Biden’s win. However, President Donald Trump still refuses to acknowledge the results of the election and, to make matters worse, the latest reports suggest that he is even considering refusing to leave the White House on Inauguration Day. So how might the Biden administration proceed if this happens? 

According to Business Insider, it is a gray area that former Secret Service agents have been discussing. Since no United States president has ever had to be escorted out of the White House, there are many questions about how this might be done if the situation presents itself. According to a former DHS official who served under the Obama administration, this particular discussion has been a hot topic among former officials for the U.S. Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security. Continue reading.

While Biden’s transition team has made it clear that trespassers would be removed, how does that work when the former president of the United States is the trespasser? The seemingly bizarre encounter would, no doubt, place many agents in a very awkward position. Continue reading.

Eleven Secret Service agents test positive for COVID-19: report

The Hill logoNewly unveiled documents suggest nearly a dozen U.S. Secret Service members have tested positive for COVID-19, Yahoo News reports.

According to documents from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that were obtained by Yahoo News, there were 11 active cases at the agency as of Thursday. On top of those currently infected, another 23 Secret Service members have reportedly recovered from coronavirus. Another 60 employees are allegedly self-quarantining.

It’s not clear if any have recently been working at the White House or have had any contact with President Trump or Vice President Pence. Continue reading.

White House budget plan has Secret Service back under Treasury

Agency has been under Department of Homeland Security since it moved there after the 9/11 attacks

The president’s fiscal 2021 budget blueprint assumes the transfer of the Secret Service back to its traditional home within the Treasury Department.

The agency, which provides presidential security and has primary jurisdiction over a variety of financial crimes, has operated as part of the Department of Homeland Security since it moved there in the bureaucratic reorganization after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The proposal, which was the subject of media reports last week, was effectively revealed in a footnote to an Office of Management and Budget summary table for fiscal 2021 obtained Sunday by CQ Roll Call. Continue reading.