Secret Service Presidential Detail Opinion of Presidents

This is something not about missiles or planes, but interesting nonetheless. These comments are from Dick Sprowl, Wesleyan AF Chaplain and teacher of Tuesday morning Bible study in Sun City.

We had a neighbor when I lived in DC who was part of the Secret Service Presidential Detail for many years. His stories of Kennedy and Johnson were the same as those I heard from the guys who flew the presidents' plane--- [yes, Kennedy did have Marilyn Monroe flown in for secret "dates", and LBJ was a typical Texas "good 'ole boy" womanizer. Nixon, Bush 41, and Carter never cheated on their wives. Clinton cheated, but couldn't match Kennedy or LBJ in style or variety.]

The information below is accurate. Bush 41 and the current president Bush make it a point to thank and take care of the aircrews who fly them around [When the president flies, there are several planes that also go--one carries the armored limo, another the security detail, plus usually a press aircraft] and both Bush's made it a point to stay home on holidays, so these Air Force and security people could have a day with their families.

Hillary Clinton was arrogant and orally abusive to her security detail. She forbade her daughter, Chelsea, from exchanging pleasantries with them. Sometimes Chelsea, miffed at her mother's obvious conceit and mean spiritedness ignored her demands and exchanged pleasantries regardless, but never in her mother presence. Chelsea really was a nice, kindhearted, and lovely young lady. The consensus opinion was that Chelsea loved her mom but did not like her.

Hillary Clinton was continuously rude and abrasive to those who were charged to protect her life. Her security detail dutifully did its job, as professionals should, but they all "loathed" her and wanted to be on a different detail. She was hard work because she was so nasty and mean toward her detail. Hillary Clinton was uniformly despised by the Secret Service as a whole.

Former President Bill Clinton was much more amiable than his wife Hillary. Often the Secret Service would cringe at the verbal attack antics that Hillary would use against her husband, the then President. They were embarrassed for his sake by the manner and frequency in which she verbally insulted him, sometimes in the presence of the Secret Service, and sometimes behind closed doors. Even behind closed doors Hillary Clinton would scream and holler so loudly that everyone could hear what she was saying.

Many felt sorry for President Clinton and most wondered why he tolerated it instead of just divorcing his "attack dog" wife. It was crystal clear that the Clintons neither liked nor respected each other and this was true long before the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Theirs was genuinely a "marriage of convenience."

Chelsea was much closer to her father than her mother, even after the Lewinsky scandal which hurt her gravely. Bill Clinton did in fact have "charisma," and occasionally would smile at or shake hands with his security detail. Still, he always displayed an obvious air of superiority towards them. His security detail uniformly believed him to be disingenuous, false, and that he did nothing without a motive that in some way would enhance his image and political career. They did respect him, unlike his wife, but they did not particularly like him and nobody trusted him. He was polite, but not kind.

Al Gore was the male version of Hillary Clinton. Al and Tipper Gore were friendlier toward each other than either of them was towards former President Clinton. They were not intimate, so please don't read that in.

They were very close in a political way. Tipper Gore was generally nice and pleasant. She initially liked Hillary but soon after the election she had her "pegged" and no longer liked her or associated with her except for events that were politically obligatory.

Al Gore was far more left wing and very hateful, not just politically opposed, to Republicans than Bill Clinton. Al Gore resented Bill Clinton and thought he was too "centrist." He despised all Republicans. His hatred was bitter and this was long before he announced for the Presidency. This bitter hatred was something that he and Hillary had very much in common. They often said as much, even in the presence of their security detail. Neither of them trusted Bill Clinton, and the Secret Service opined neither of them even liked Bill Clinton. Bill Clinton did have some good qualities where Al Gore and Hillary had none in the view of their security details.

Al Gore, like Hillary, was very rude and arrogant toward his security detail. He was extremely unappreciative and would not hesitate to scold them in the presence of their peers for minor details over which they had no control. Al Gore also looked down on them in disgust as they finally observed and learned with certainty on one occasion when Al Gore got angry at his offspring and loudly, in their presence, pointed at his security detail and said, "Do you want to grow up and be like them?"

Word of this insulting and demeaning verbiage by the former Vice President quickly spread and he became as despised and disliked by the Secret Service as Hillary. Most of them prayed that Al Gore would not be elected President and they really did have private small celebrations in a few of their homes after President Bush won. This was not necessarily to celebrate President Bush's election, but to celebrate Al Gore's defeat. He was much disliked. Al Gore was not a good and kind person. That he could have been our President may suggest that God was "answering prayers" and looking out for the country with Al Gore's defeat.

Everyone in the Secret Service wants to be on First Lady Laura Bush's detail. Without exception, they uniformly concede that she is perhaps the nicest, most kind, and genuinely good person they have ever had the privilege of serving. Where Hillary patently refused to allow her picture to be taken with her security detail, Laura Bush doesn't even have to be asked, she offers. She doesn't just shake their hand and say, "Thank you." Very often, she will give members of her detail a kind-hearted hug to express her appreciation. There is nothing false about her. This is her genuine nature. Laura Bush really is this kind of a person and her security detail considers her to be a "breath of fresh air." They actually love her as a human being. They joke that comparing Laura Bush with Hillary Clinton is like comparing "Mother Teresa" with the "Wicked Witch of the North."

Likewise, the Secret Service considers President Bush to be a gem of a man to work for. He always treats them with genuine respect and he always trusts and listens to their expert advice. They really like the Crawford, Texas detail. Every time the president goes to Crawford he has a Bar-B-Q for his security detail and he helps in serving them their meals. He eats with them, sits with them, and talks with them. He always asks about their family, the names of which he always remembers, and he of course, knows each of them by their first name, and calls them by their first name as a show of affection.

They believe that he actually loves his security detail and that he is deeply and genuinely appreciative of their service. They could not like, love, or respect anyone more than President Bush, and most of them did not know they would feel this way until they had an opportunity to work for him and learn that his manner was genuine and consistent. It has never changed in the three years that he has been President. He always treats them with the utmost respect, kindness, and compassion.

{Please pass this on to everyone you know. It is important for every-day Americans to have a true inside understanding of their President, versus those who would be President. Finally, the Secret Service still is forming their opinion of John Kerry. They have nothing positive or negative to say that anyone is willing to share as yet. This notwithstanding, they already know what they have in President Bush and they don't want to lose a good thing.}

This looks like a good place to post this info gleaned from the Independent Counsel's supplemental documents:

The Guards Speak

When Americans think of the Secret Service, we generally picture the stern men and women with earpieces and business suits who flank the President in public. Their professionalism and dedication to duty call them, if necessary, to place themselves between the President and bodily harm. A slightly less glamorous role is played by the Uniformed Division of the Secret Service. These are the uniformed officers who guard posts in and around the White House and other locations when the President is present. These Uniformed Officers see a lot from their posts and they certainly had tales to tell the Independent Counsel. Here are their stories.

Uniformed Secret Service Officer Steven Pape offers a snapshot of Monica Lewinsky’s people skills as she huffed and puffed her way through the Southwest Gate of the White House to meet with Bill Clinton. We begin at page 3259:

"Q: Did you ever see her at the Southwest Gate?

A: Well, yeah, plenty of times I saw her at the Southwest Gate.

Q: All right. And how many times do you think you saw her at the Southwest Gate?

A: Mmmmm-- minimum of two, probably three, and I would say up to at least 10 times I personally cleared her in.

..............

Q: Okay. And when did you see Monica Lewinsky last summer [1997]?

A: I believe one was July 14th and the other was August 16th.

Q: Tell us about July 14, 1997. What happened that day? Where were you posted?

A: My normal post would be the Southwest Gate. And again, I've dealt with her so many times. I think one time it was a blistering summer day she had come up. Humidity was about 100 percent. It was hot. We knew who she was.

..............

Q: Is there a trailer or some kind of a, you know, enclosure that you were in at the Southwest Gate?

A: It's a booth. It's a police booth.

Q: Is it air-conditioned?

A: It works on and off......It was close to 90 degrees. Humidity was about 100. She had come up, walked from the Ellipse. She was sweating pretty much profusely, very impatient, and that she was here for an appointment for the President.

I asked for her driver's license or government ID, as I ask everybody for. She gave it to me, checked it in the WAVE system, the computer system. She was not in. I informed her that she needs to call a staff member to clear her in.

And I can't remember. I may have called Betty Currie that day or not. Lots of times, if it's an appointment for the President, I take an extra step and call-- say, if it was for the President, I would call Betty and say, you know, ‘This person is not cleared in. Could you please clear her in?’

At which point, I remember, in my notes I made an annotation, ‘Monica is not cleared in again.’

Q: That had happened before?

A: Yeah. It's kind of-- for us, it's kind of irritating, because it puts the pressure on us, because it's an appointment for the President. And when they're not in the system, it just-- you know, you want to get the presidential appointments in quick.

Q: Did she say she was there to see the President of Betty Currie?

A: She-- she was always there to see the President.

..............

Q: What did you do?

A: Like I said, I may have called Betty and said, you know, whatever. Or Betty, lots of times, would call down to me and say, ‘Could you please let her in?’

And I don't know if it happened on this date or other dates, but the-- I mean, I can remember several conversations with Ms. Currie, that ‘I can break a lot of rules for you, but that's the one rule I can't break. I mean, they've got to be in the system before I can bring them into the complex.’

..............

Q: Do you remember anything else about that day? Indicating with your hand waving at your face?

A: Yeah. ‘I'm hot. Well, can't I just wait in your booth?’ You never let somebody wait in your booth, because if they're an appointment, they're not allowed into the complex until they're cleared.

I remember, like I said, she was sweating. I mean, lots of sweat on her dress, down her back, in her-- this area (indicating).

Q: Indicating your chest. Go ahead.

A: Correct. Her hair, when a woman's hair, in high humidity-- it was frizzled. And she waited, I would guess, 10, maybe 15 minutes in the heat.

And by the time the appointment finally came up and was in the system, and she went up to see the President, or Betty, it looked like she went a couple rounds with Mohammed Ali or something. She just-- she looked terrible. But again, I mean, I was going by the regulations.

.....On one of those occasions, you know, she's-- you know, she basically, like indirectly threatens you: "Do you know who I'm going to see?" You know. "What is he going to say if, you know, I'm late and he's waiting for me?"

Q: Did she say things like that to you?

A: Yes, she would. And obviously, if somebody kind of makes a veiled threat like that, and the person who they're going to tell is the President of the United States, you take notice of it.

..............

Q: Okay. Do you remember anything with respect to the August 16, 1997, visit with respect to Betty Currie and what she was wearing that day, or anything that happened that day with respect to her?

A: Correct. Betty drove in her-- I believe she drove in her van that day. It looked like she was rushed, like she was just coming in. She was in a sweatsuit outfit. And normally, Betty is super professional, dressed to a tee-- I mean, the way she should, I mean. Saturdays, you didn't expect to see her in sweats.

She came in, just minutes before Monica and walked up. And, after [Monica's] appointment was completed, where she went to Betty Currie's office, then what I'm assuming to be the President afterwards, when he came down to the-- from the residence, Betty left shortly, like right after-- right after they were gone.

Q: Right after--

A: Right after-- right after Monica completed her appointment, Betty was out of there, like the only reason she was there was for this appointment, to be there.

[Query: How upset would you be if your boss called you on a Saturday and told you to come into the office so he could “minister” to his mistress? Incredible!]

At page 3262, Pape next related that he was training a younger officer, Robert Myrick, on August 16th when Monica slogged up to the Southwest Gate:

"A: And I had told him, as I had seen her coming up from the Ellipse, who she was, and I advised him to always go by the book: ‘Don’t do any special favors, especially don't let her in unless she's cleared in, because someday this is going to come back on us, so always do it by the book.’

I explained-- I basically said that, ‘This is probably the President's mistress, so treat her, you know, decent, but again, don't break the rules for her.’

And after she left our post and went up to the West Wing offices, I said, ‘And now watch. The President will come down within two minutes.’ And he still was incredulous that the President would have a mistress. And I said, ‘This is the way it normally happens. As soon as she comes in, within minutes, he comes down, because he's usually late.’.....And the officer said, quote, ‘Well, I don't believe it.’ He says, ‘I'll give you ten minutes, and I betcha he still won't move,’ because it was-- you know, it was an early Saturday morning or something.

And I almost lost the bet. It was nine minutes and 40 or 50 seconds before-- before he came down for that appointment.”

Officer Myrick described the same encounter thusly at page 4011 of his testimony: “Q: Okay. Tell us about the incident.

A: Okay. She approached the gate and Officer Pape looked at me and said, ‘Do you know who that is?’

And I said, ‘No, I don't.’

And he said, ‘That's the President's--’ He didn't say anything, he just made a motion with his face.

And I said, ‘What are you talking about?’ And he did the same facial expression.

And I said, ‘You're kidding me.’ And he said, ‘You'll see.’ And that was basically about the gist of that. Also, he said, ‘Well, the President will be moving in about ten minutes.’

So it was kind of like a bet, because she was here. And after that ten minutes, the President moved to another location from where he was.

Q: Where had he been?

A: In the residence.

Q: And where did he move to?

A: To the West Wing.

Q: And did he do that within ten minutes?

A: In ten to fifteen minutes, yes.

Q: And was there actually a bet placed on this?

A: No.”

We return to Officer Pape

“Q: Do you remember whether, on either of those summer occasions, Monica Lewinsky-- last summer, 1997-- brought any gifts to the White House?

A: Yes. On one of those occasions, she had a gift. It was gift-wrapped. It had a bow or something around it, to-- I remember, I didn't want to unwrap it, because it was for the President......Normally, you're supposed to have a TSD agent come down and personally inspect it.

Q: TSD. What is that?

A: Technical Services Division of the Secret Service.

Q: And they would check the packages for?

A: Any gifts going to the President, they take a special interest in, and they like to check before it goes to him.

Q: But they did not come? You did not request them?

A: I didn't request them.

Q: Because?

A: My attitude, as I said before was, ‘Well, I know basically her status. I know where she goes. There hasn't been a problem in the past.’

And if she was going to do any harm to the President, after I looked at the X-ray-- I did X-ray it, and there was nothing metal, connecting wires, or anything-- I said she would do the-- you know, it would be something along the lines of Lorena Bobbit, if she was going to hurt him, and that I couldn't stop. And that's what was going through my mind.

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