A senior Secret Service agent who suggested she would not take a bullet for President Trump has been placed on paid leave, according to a new report.
Kerry O’Grady is off her job with pay while the agency investigates her social media activities, The Washington Examiner reported Friday.
The Secret Service announced late Wednesday the Office of Professional Responsibility (RES), the agency’s main internal ethics entity, would formally probe O’Grady over an October Facebook post.
{mosads}Secret Service Director Joseph Clancy asked agents for “patience while the RES conducts their investigation” in a Wednesday night email.
Reports emerged Tuesday that O’Grady said in October she would rather do “jail time” than take “a bullet” for Trump.
“As a public servant for nearly 23 years, I struggle not to violate the Hatch Act,” she wrote on Facebook. “So I keep quiet and skirt the median. To do otherwise can be a criminal offense for those in my position.”
“[It is] despite the fact I am expected to take a bullet for both sides,” O’Grady continued. “But this world has changed and I have changed.”
“And I would take jail time over a bullet or an endorsement for what I believe to be a disaster for this country and the strong and amazing women and minorities who reside here. Hatch Act be damned. I am with her.”
The Hatch Act prohibits executive branch members – except the president, the vice president and other designated officials – from making partisan statements.
O’Grady serves as the Secret Service agent in charge of the Denver district, where she helps coordinate presidential trips to the area.
The Examiner noted that her post had resulted in at least one complaint to the office that manages investigations into Secret Service members.