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Trump cancels Kamala Harris’ Secret Service detail that was extended by undisclosed Biden order

A Secret Service agent told NBC News that Joe Biden had extended former Vice President Kamala Harris' protection to 18 months.Yuri Gripas / Pool / ABACA via Reuters

A Secret Service agent told NBC News that Joe Biden had extended former Vice President Kamala Harris' protection to 18 months.Yuri Gripas / Pool / ABACA via Reuters

President Donald Trump revoked Kamala Harris’ Secret Service protection on Thursday, according to a copy of a letter reviewed by CNN.

Former presidents receive Secret Service protection for life. Harris, as a former vice president, received six months of protection after leaving office, according to federal law. That period ended on July 21. However, her protection had been extended for an additional year via a directive – not made public until now – signed by then-President Joe Biden shortly before leaving office, according to multiple people familiar with the undisclosed arrangement.

That is the order Trump canceled in his letter, titled “Memorandum for the Secretary of Homeland Security” and dated Thursday.

“You are hereby authorized to discontinue any security-related procedures previously authorized by Executive Memorandum, beyond those required by law, for the following individual, effective September 1, 2025: Former Vice President Kamala D. Harris,” the letter reads in full.

The order to remove Harris’ detail came from the White House, one official with the Secret Service told CNN.

The decision was not part of a security review or new threat assessment, the source said. Leadership within the agency did not flag any security concerns or push back from the White House’s order, the official said, who noted that Harris’s detail would range from a dozen to a few dozen agents depending on her schedule and shift changes for 24-hour security.

Trump’s ending of Harris’ protection comes as she soon embarks on a multi-city, high-profile book tour around the release of “107 Days,” her newmemoir on her short presidential campaign, set to be released September 23. That will put her more in the public spotlight than she has been since leaving office, during which time she’s attended only a few public events.

“The Vice President is grateful to the United States Secret Service for their professionalism, dedication, and unwavering commitment to safety,” Kirsten Allen, a Harris senior adviser, told CNN.

Harris, according to people familiar with her security operations, faced particular security concerns given that she was the first woman and first Black woman in the role. Those concerns only increased after she became the nominee, the people familiar with her security operations told CNN, and was still at a high level into January following the campaign, with feelings about the election still raw.

A Biden spokesperson declined to comment on what led to his signing the order extending Harris’ protection.

But what will now disappear is not just the agents assigned to guard her in person, 24-7: Secret Service protection includes constant analysis of threat intelligence and covering in-person situations, emails, texts and social media. With her detail canceled, Harris aides are worried they will lose the same access to threat warnings, the people familiar with her security operations said. Her home, in the middle of Los Angeles, will also stop being protected by federal agents.

The cost of mounting any similar level of protection privately would be expensive, possibly going into the millions of dollars annually.

 

Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, lost his own personal detail on July 21 under the standard provisions for a former vice president’s spouse.

California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom was briefed on Harris losing her protection late Thursday. A person familiar with the discussions told CNN that the governor’s office could not comment on security arrangements or methods which may be activated as a replacement.

However, Newsom spokesperson Bob Salladay expressed outrage about Trump making the change.

“The safety of our public officials should never be subject to erratic, vindictive political impulses,” Salladay told CNN.

Harris, as a Los Angeles resident, could also receive protection from the city police department. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Newsom were in touch Thursday evening about the situation.

“This is another act of revenge following a long list of political retaliation in the form of firings, the revoking of security clearances and more. This puts the former Vice President in danger and I look forward to working with the Governor to make sure Vice President Harris is safe in Los Angeles,” Bass told CNN in a statement.

This story has been updated with additional details.

CNN’s Holmes Lybrand and Alejandra Jaramillo contributed to this report.

Author: Edward-Isaac Dovere

Source: CNN:::

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