Former Agent: Secret Service Lowered Standards In Pursuit Of Diversity

Sensing this would be a sensitive topic, Bongino addresses his apprehension of discussing the subject in the book. He writes he hesitated to include this information in his book “because whenever someone mentions the term ‘diversity’ and discusses the real-world implications of applying such a loosely defined term to a specific job description, he or she runs the severe risk of character assassination by extreme partisan actors who don’t care a bit about the real-world ramifications of their ideological crusades.”

The Daily Caller  "The lowering of standards has been ongoing since at least “the early 2000s,” according to the book.

“ 'Sadly, and for many years, the Secret Service has been sacrificing mission-readiness at the altar of political correctness,” Bongino writes in “Protecting The President: An Inside Account of the Troubled Secret Service in an Era of Evolving Threats,” out Tuesday.

"Bongino worked for the Secret Service from 1999 to 2011. He has since run for the U.S. Senate, and twice for the U.S. House. He was an instructor at a training academy from 2002 until 2006, when he became part of the U.S. Presidential Protection Division.

“ 'The Secret Service’s attachment to quota-based hiring was so intense that they hired applicants for the special agent and Uniformed Division officer positions that could barely meet basic physical fitness standards upon their commission as agents or officers,” the book contends.

"Bongino’s insider account cites recent security breaches at the White House as the fault of the agency’s hiring practices." . . .