The U.S. Secret Service has responded to allegations that its agents broke into a hair salon in Massachusetts during a campaign event for Vice President Kamala Harris last month.
According to a report by Conservative Brief, the agency's spokeswoman, Melissa McKenzie, issued a statement suggesting that Secret Service personnel would not enter a business without the owner's permission.
Alicia Powers, the salon owner, claimed that individuals dressed as Secret Service agents covered her security cameras with duct tape and used lock-picking techniques to enter her building. Powers alleged that several people used her bathroom and counter for about two hours without permission, leaving the building unlocked and the camera still taped when they departed.
Powers reported that the intruders, whom she believes were Secret Service agents, used lock-picking techniques to access her salon. She alleges that they covered her security cameras with duct tape, used her bathroom, set off alarms, and left the building unsecured when they departed. Powers expressed her frustration, stating that the individuals were in her salon for about an hour and a half without her knowledge or consent.
Security camera footage from the salon reportedly shows a person dressed as a Secret Service agent approaching a door with a roll of tape and using a chair to cover the camera. This footage has fueled the controversy, leading to questions about the agency’s involvement in the incident.
In response to the allegations, Secret Service spokeswoman Melissa McKenzie stated that the agency takes its relationships with business partners very seriously.
"The U.S. Secret Service works closely with our partners in the business community to carry out our protective and investigative missions," McKenzie said. She emphasized that the agency would not enter a business without the owner's permission.
The controversy surrounding the salon break-in is not the only issue plaguing the Secret Service. Less than a month ago, the agency faced severe criticism following an attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
During the rally, a shooter identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks was able to get dangerously close to Trump despite having been flagged as suspicious by law enforcement over an hour before the shooting. The Secret Service, which was responsible for coordinating security at the event, has been accused of failing to act on these warnings.
Newly released footage from the Butler rally shows local police officers expressing frustration with the Secret Service’s handling of the event. In the footage, a Butler Township police officer can be heard angrily stating that he had warned the Secret Service about security concerns days before the rally.
Officers described losing track of Crooks, who had been seen lurking near the rally site, observing people from the woods by a water tower. The officers also expressed confusion and frustration over the lack of security personnel on the roof, which had been a planned precaution.
One officer, in particular, voiced his disappointment, stating, “I thought you guys were on the roof. I thought it was you. I thought it was you.” The response from another officer, “No,” underscored the lapse in security that allowed the shooter to get close to Trump.
The U.S. Secret Service is currently navigating one of the most challenging periods in its history. The agency is facing serious allegations from a Massachusetts salon owner, who claims that agents broke into her business during a Vice President Kamala Harris event. At the same time, the agency is also under fire for its handling of security at a recent Trump rally, where a botched assassination attempt took place. These controversies have led to the resignation of Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle and have sparked widespread calls for increased oversight and reform within the agency.
