(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Journalist James O’Keefe published a shocking report Tuesday about how a Secret Service agent assigned to Vice President JD Vance’s security detail leaked details about his travels to one of O’Keefe’s undercover reporters.
Furthermore, the agent, Tomas Escotto, only became a citizen in 2018, he voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020, and he “hates ICE,” according to O’Keefe’s report, which comes on the heels of a man attacking Vance’s Cincinnati home with a hammer earlier this month.
Escotto, who may have broken the law with his leaks, has reportedly been placed on administrative leave and has had his security clearance revoked.
As is typical with O’Keefe’s journalism, Escotto was apparently catfished by the undercover female reporter—meeting her on the dating app Tinder. Footage shows Escotto spilling the beans about his job to the reporter during a dinner date. He later texted her photos of sensitive locations, as well as details of Vance’s travel plans—telling the reporter in on Dec. 26 that the vice president would be in Ohio for four to five days before traveling to Florida for the weekend.
Escotto even sent images from Air Force Two at one point.
O’Keefe said typically he gives the government a day or two to respond to his forthcoming reports. But in this case, he worked with the Secret Service and agreed to redact information that could compromise Vance’s security.
Secret Service Deputy Director Matthew Quinn issued a statement in response to O’Keefe’s reporting.
“The U.S. Secret Service has no tolerance for any behavior that could potentially compromise the safety, privacy or trust of our protectees,” he said.
“This incident is under investigation and the employee involved has been placed on administrative leave with his clearance suspended and access to agency facilities and systems revoked. The U.S. Secret Service has also issued an order for all personnel to retake the agency’s required anti-espionage training… The U.S. Secret Service deeply apologizes to the Vance family for this violation of their trust and privacy.”
Quinn also reportedly issued an internal memo about the matter, complaining about O’Keefe’s tactics.
“Over the past several months, an agency employee was deliberately targeted and manipulated by a citizen-journalism media organization that misrepresented itself in an effort to get close to the employee and expose sensitive information. This is the second time in less than a year that our personnel have been subjected to this same deceptive tactic,” he said.
“Sadly in this instance, the employee failed to meet the standards demanded of this agency and engaged in conduct that runs counter to our values, our policies, and the training we provide to prevent exactly this type of compromise,” he added.
Earlier this month, a man encroached onto Vance’s property in Ohio, breaking windows and causing other damage. The Secret Service heard a loud noise at the home around midnight and found a person who had broken a window with a hammer and was trying to get into the house.
The attacker in that case, William D DeFoor, who was born biologically male but identifies as a woman, is in jail pending trial.
Ken Silva is the editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.
