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(The Hill) — U.S. Secret Service Director Sean Curran on Wednesday said the agency has opened more than 10,000 investigations this year into threats against protectees.
Curran told reporters about the 40-percent rise, and when compared to last year, that the threat number is “off the charts.”
“The environment has become very volatile, and that’s just across the board,” Curran said. “The threat picture and environment is as large as I’ve ever seen it.”
Agency officials said there were nearly 10 times the number of mental health-related interventions involving people threatening protected people when compared to last year. They say this is due to a rise in online threats, foreign threats, lone actors and those with ideological grievances, CBS News reported.
The briefing with officials comes days before the White House Correspondents’ Association’s upcoming dinner at the Waldorf Astoria in Washington, which was rescheduled due to an assassination attempt on President Donald Trump’s life. The incident itself was the latest of three attempts on Trump’s life since July 2024, while Trump was on the campaign trail in Butler, Penn.
The Secret Service also previously said it foiled a plot to attack the “Freedom 250 UFC” event on the White House lawn during Trump’s 80th birthday last month. Secret Service Deputy Director Matthew Quinn at the time said the event was “never at risk.”
Asked by a reporter if the agency is concerned about drones being used to attack protectees, Quinn said the “threat’s real,” but that the White House is “very safe from attack,” CNBC reported.
“The technology that we’re deploying, and not just at the White House, at all protected sites, is cutting edge right now,” he said. “The threat continues to get tougher and tougher, you know. You’re talking fiber-optic controlled drones now, dark drones. So it’s a constant chase to keep up with it. But we’re doing a tremendous job to stay ahead of the threat, especially at the White House.”
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