Former Secret Service agent Dan Bongino revealed on his podcast on Friday that the Secret Service ordered agents not to wear red ties. The order was issued last week after an agent guarding Trump was photographed wearing a red tie similar to Trump's color as he took to the stage at a campaign rally in New Hampshire. “They're going to hurt this guy,” Bongino warned.
Bongino said an email decree was issued after a photo of the agent wearing a red tie while guarding Trump was published in The Guardian last Sunday.
Bongino said agents were “angry” about the tie-up order. Bongino said Trump needs to clean up the Secret Service when he returns to the White House next year, citing the agency's ignoring of the White House cocaine investigation last year.
“Trump’s threat level is through the roof,” Bongino said. Trump urged some contact to be made, saying: “If that's what they're worried about, you're going to get hurt.”
Short video:
“This is a completely crazy story.”
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– gg (@AskMeLaterOn) January 26, 2024
The longer version in the full episode on Rumble starts at 5:38:
Bongino said the “red tie” controversy dates back to a book published in 2021 called “Only I Can Fix It: Donald J. Trump’s Disastrous Final Year” by Washington Post reporters Carol D. Leonnig and Philip Rucker (excerpt):
Finally, election day came. On the morning of November 3, 2020, President Trump was optimistic. The mood in the West Wing was good. Some aides giddily spoke of a landslide. Many of the women working at the White House arrived wearing red jackets in a show of optimism, while some Secret Service agents accompanying the president wore red ties for the occasion. Trump's voice was hoarse from his mad dash at rallies, but he thought his grueling final tour had sealed the deal. He considered Joe Biden to be a lot of things, but the winner was certainly not one of them. “I can’t lose to this damn guy,” Trump told his aides.
Bongino said the book got it wrong, as military aides at the White House Communications Agency were wearing red ties that day.
Current Secret Service Director Kimberly Chittle was appointed by Joe Biden in 2022. Chittle was assigned to Biden's protective detail when he was vice president, but left the Secret Service in 2019 during the Trump administration. Sheitel worked at PepsiCo in the meantime. In 2021, Biden presented Sheitel with the Presidential Rank Award.
Biden's statement announcing Chettle's appointment, August 24, 2022:
I am proud to announce that I have selected Kim Sheitel to be the next Director of the United States Secret Service. Kim has had a long and distinguished career in the Secret Service, rising through the ranks during her 27 years with the agency, becoming the first woman to serve as Assistant Director of Protective Operations.
Jill and I know firsthand Kim's commitment to her job, the Secret Service, and its mission. When Kim served on my security team when I was Vice President, we came to trust her judgment and counsel. A distinguished law enforcement professional with exceptional leadership skills, she was easily the best choice to lead the agency at a critical moment for the Secret Service. She has my complete confidence, and I look forward to working with her.
We thank Director Murray for his service to this country, and wish him and his family well as he takes the next step in his career.
Kimberly Chettle Biography
Kimberly Chittle has worked for over 25 years in the United States Secret Service in numerous leadership roles, including the VP's Protective Division, Resident Agent in Charge, Grand Rapids, MI Resident Office, Assistant Inspector, Inspection Office, and Assistant Special Agent. Administrator, Vice President's Presidential Protection Section, and Assistant Special Agent in Charge, RTC. In 2021, President Biden presented Chittle with the Presidential Rank Award, recognizing her among a select group of career members of the Senior Executive Service for exceptional performance over an extended period of time.
Chittle currently serves as a Senior Manager at PepsiCo North America where he oversees facilities, employees and business continuity, and prior to that served as Assistant Director of the Office of Protection Operations. In this position, Chittle managed the execution of the Office of Protective Operations' $133.5 million budget and collaborated with ten operational divisions and the Technical Security Division to research, develop, and deploy technologies that reduce risks to protectees, protected facilities, and protected events. It also developed and updated operational policies; Supervise a special projects team that responds to operational, technical and administrative issues at all levels of the organization; Directs staffing and logistics operations for the Directorate and ten operational divisions to ensure divisions and events are appropriately resourced.
Prior to serving as Assistant Director, Chittle served as Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Office, where he oversaw all mission-related investigations, protective intelligence, and protective visits in the state of Georgia.
