Three Secret Service officials, including the agency's top spokesman, have been suspended pending an internal review of alleged misconduct.
The U.S. Secret Service has placed three officials from its communications office on administrative leave, including Chief of Communications Anthony Guglielmi, pending an internal investigation into potential misconduct, the agency confirmed this week. The action, which began Tuesday, also affects two other non-law-enforcement employees within the same office, according to the agency and multiple news organizations that reported on the matter. The Secret Service said the case is being handled by its Office of Professional Responsibility, but it has declined to detail the nature of the alleged wrongdoing.
The suspensions were first confirmed late Tuesday and were reported by CBS News, The Washington Post and PBS NewsHour, all of which cited the Secret Service's public information office or U.S. officials familiar with the matter. The New York Times separately reported that the agency's top spokesman was among those on leave, attributing its account to two Trump administration officials.
Officials Confirm Three Employees Sidelined
According to the Secret Service, the three individuals placed on leave were all operating in non-law-enforcement capacities within the agency's communications and public information office. Guglielmi, who has served as the public face of the agency in briefings and statements to reporters, is the most senior of the three and the only one publicly named in reporting so far. The identities of the other two employees have not been released.
The agency's public information office told reporters that the three were being investigated for “potential misconduct,” language that has been echoed consistently across CBS News, The Washington Post and PBS NewsHour. Beyond that description, the Secret Service has not elaborated on what prompted the review or what specific conduct is under scrutiny.
Internal Review Led by Professional Standards Office
The investigation is being conducted by the Secret Service's Office of Professional Responsibility, sometimes referred to in agency parlance as its professional standards office. This unit is responsible for examining allegations of misconduct among agency personnel and determining whether internal policies or standards of conduct were violated.
As is standard practice during such internal probes, the three employees have reportedly lost their security clearances and access to government-issued work devices while the review is underway, according to U.S. officials cited by CBS News and the Anadolu Agency. Officials described this step as routine procedure rather than an indication of any particular finding, and it does not necessarily reflect the outcome of the investigation.
The Secret Service has been careful to frame the leave as administrative rather than punitive, and no outlet has reported that criminal charges are being considered at this stage. The agency has declined to comment further beyond confirming the existence of the investigation and the employees' current leave status.
Details of Alleged Misconduct Remain Undisclosed
Despite consistent reporting across multiple major outlets, none has been able to specify what triggered the investigation or what the three employees are accused of doing. The Washington Post, PBS NewsHour and CBS News have each noted that it remains unclear why the employees were placed on leave or what the inquiry will examine.
The New York Times, which reported that the agency's top spokesman was among those suspended, said the Secret Service confirmed that three people faced a misconduct investigation but did not provide additional specifics. This lack of detail has left open questions about whether the case involves communications practices, workplace conduct, handling of sensitive information, or another matter entirely.
Broader Pattern of Internal Discipline at the Agency
The current case follows a series of past instances in which Secret Service personnel have been placed on leave amid internal investigations. In July, a member of the Vice Presidential Protective Division was suspended after being accused of leaking details about Vice President JD Vance's travel schedule, a case that was also handled through an administrative investigation. In earlier years, the agency has faced scrutiny over other workplace conduct allegations involving supervisory personnel.
While those earlier cases involved protective or supervisory staff, the current investigation is notable because it touches the agency's communications leadership directly, an office responsible for managing the Secret Service's public messaging and media relations. The Office of Professional Responsibility's review is ongoing, and the Secret Service has not indicated when it expects the investigation to conclude or whether the matter could be referred to outside investigators.
