The 'tarnished' Secret Service has a chance to redeem itself by handing over Trump: national security expert

If Donald Trump is indeed indicted this week by a Manhattan grand jury, his Secret Service detail — along with their superiors in Washington D.C. — will be put on the spot over how to turn over custody of the former president for historic criminal processing.

According to national security expert Juliette Kayyem, there will never be a better opportunity for the Secret Service to clean up its "tarnished' reputation after accusations of running interference for the controversial president who has faced accusations of inciting a mob to attack the Capitol on Jan 6.

In a column for The Atlantic, Kayyem claimed the Secret Service was not on its best behavior during Trump's four years in office.

Writing, "After years in which some agents acted as Trump’s loyal servants, the Secret Service must get back to basics. Although the agency faced considerable challenges before Trump became president, by the end of his presidency, its critics charged that its loyalty to the United States had been subsumed by its loyalty to a man," Kayyem said that the time to make amends is at hand if Trump is indicted and that his protective detail hand him over if asked.

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Noting that there was heightened scrutiny of the Secret Service during Trump's tenure, Kayyem suggested the agency work hand in hand with prosecutors if the former president faces criminal charges.

Noting that the actions of the agency on Jan. 6 were, "at best, an embarrassing mess and, at worst, a sign that the service was not salvageable," Kayyem wrote, "The service just needs to show up with the suspect and let the court conduct its typical process, recording the necessary information. In New York, that involves taking the name, address, Social Security number, and date of birth of the defendant. That the man who entered politics by questioning the birth certificate of Barack Obama will now be reduced to verifying his own identity in court is a delicious bit of irony."

She added that one former agent who served in the Presidential Protection Division acknowledged the agency is aware of what is at stake.

According to Jonathan Wackrow, "For the Secret Service, they want this to just be another day in the life of the protectee. It is just an administrative movement. That is all. Get him from Point A to Point B and back to Point A.”