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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsSecret service and their oath and duty to stop crime
I looked up this
An individual, except the President, elected or appointed to an office of honor or profit in the civil service or uniformed services, shall take the following oath: I, AB, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God. This section does not affect other oaths required by law.
(Pub. L. 89554, Sept. 6, 1966, 80 Stat. 424.)
It seems like every secret service agent should have said and done something about all the espionage/treason that was going on. Clearly, some of them saw crimes and did nothing about it. THat sure seems like they should all be disciplined, probably fired, and many prosecuted.
We might have a lot less criminal behavior by senior politicians if they knew that civil servants would actually live up to their oath to protect from domestic enemies.
Can any of the legal eagles here explain how the secret service dudes who heard and saw the planning for Jabuary 6 or any of the document things in the indictment aren't being disciplined?
Effete Snob
(8,387 posts)First off, there is utterly nothing in that oath which confers on any individual the duty to "stop crime".
That's pretty much Oathkeepers bullshit. They are the ones who acted to "stop the crime" of what they believed was a stolen election.
They take an oath to "discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter" and, for the protection branch of the Secret Service that means looking after the physical safety of the person they are assigned to protect.
The notion that the president is going to be surrounded by a bunch of lunkheads - and some of them truly are - who are going to act on their own personal feelings about what laws they feel like enforcing on any given day, is just not going to happen nor should it. Someone who has been hired because they can bench press 400 pounds and run 100 yards in under 12 seconds is not going to be judge, jury and executioner on their personal initiative.
No, sorry, someone who got a degree in P.E. while playing football in college is not anyone I want diving across the Oval Office to keep Joe Biden from signing a law which that particular idiot thinks is unconstitutional.
The Secret Service protection branch was not formed to be some kind of gatekeeper force of individuals who decide what they are going to allow the president to do or not to do. If that's the case, then we can get rid of the president and just put them in charge.
JT45242
(2,297 posts)Wouldn't thet have an ethics officer to consult....it seems like they are loyal to the man not the office in their behavior.
Similar to the white house counsel.
I have had many jobs that I have to sign off on training that if I see a violation of policy or law, that I MUST report it to the ethical conduct review because we have government contracts. Seems like secret service should be held to the same standards as company employees that work on state and federal contracts.
bottomofthehill
(8,348 posts)There are plenty of closed door meetings the service is not at.
odins folly
(157 posts)The Secret Service is there to protect the individual. Inside the WH they are outside the office, not standing in the back of the room eavesdropping on the conversations going on. Same with any other presidential meeting.
treestar
(82,383 posts)and that duty is to protect the POTUS from would be assassins or others who would harm that individual, due to being a target that sticks out. That's it, nothing else. Even said to be supposed to take a bullet for them. It would be a distraction for them to have to look out for crime in general.
onecaliberal
(32,899 posts)treestar
(82,383 posts)to report on that? They are supposed to be protecting the target, not wondering whether the target is committing treason. Are they supposed to investigate the person too?
onecaliberal
(32,899 posts)This isn't even a close call.
treestar
(82,383 posts)The OP subject was SS agent.
onecaliberal
(32,899 posts)That was the point. You can deflect all you want. Any patriotic American who saw what he was doing. Especially those who take an oath should have fucking reported it forthwith. Have a good nite.
Ocelot II
(115,865 posts)along with their immediate families. Agents not assigned to that duty are involved in the investigation of certain financial crimes, like counterfeiting. Secret Service agents have the authority to make a warrantless arrest if a federal crime is being committed in their presence and "if they have reasonable grounds to believe that the person to be arrested has committed or is committing such felony." https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/3056 Did any of the agents have reasonable ground to believe that the boxes at Mierda-Lardo contained classified information? How would they have known? Did TFG show any documents to them or did they see him show them to anyone else? While they have the authority to make arrests under the stated circumstances, their oath doesn't impose the duty to do it.
treestar
(82,383 posts)that power to arrest is meant for people who might attack the President. Only TFG brings up the possibility that they might have to arrest the President. For example, if TFG is about to shoot someone on 5th Avenue . . . . .
FSogol
(45,529 posts)Things work differently outside of movies and comic books.
onecaliberal
(32,899 posts)NOT from the Avengers.
FSogol
(45,529 posts)In brightest day, in blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship evil's might beware my power
the Secret Service light!
My nephews love the Justice League when they were little!
onecaliberal
(32,899 posts)Last edited Wed Jun 14, 2023, 11:38 AM - Edit history (2)
I mean a psycho giving our nuke codes to our enemies, nothing for them to report.
odins folly
(157 posts)That the Secret Service was present when he was handing out the codes as party favors. They are not by his side 24/7/365, they are not in meetings....
treestar
(82,383 posts)SS agents so they'd know he was doing it.
And how they are supposed to know he's not supposed to be doing whatever he's doing.
FSogol
(45,529 posts)Highly recommended.
treestar
(82,383 posts)I did not know they had a rise and a fall.
FSogol
(45,529 posts)Every overseas trip has been a major problem.
treestar
(82,383 posts)vaguely; there's so much scandal now and of course TFG has really drowned us in them.
ExWhoDoesntCare
(4,741 posts)Where?
The Secret Service aren't always in the room with their subject. This is especially true if they subject is in a secure area, like the subject's home or the White House. They're usually doing perimeter duty outside, standing guard outside the room where the subject is, or patrolling hallways and the like.
So plenty can go on that they don't and won't see.
There's plenty to criticize the Secret Service about, but this isn't one of them.