Department of State security officers found then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton so unpleasant they refused to work on her security detail, a former agent claims in newly-released FBI documents.
The FBI Monday released 100 pages of documents relating to its investigation of Clinton’s private email server. The documents incorporate summaries of several interviews the FBI conducted, including one with a woman who served as an agent with the State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DS) during Clinton’s time as secretary of state.
During her interview, the agent said Clinton treated agents rudely and with contempt, and was so unpleasant that senior agents typically avoided being on her security detail.
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“[Redacted] explained that CLINTON’s treatment of DS agents on her protective detail was so contemptuous that many of them sought reassignment or employment elsewhere,” the interview summary says. “Prior to CLINTON’s tenure, being an agent on the Secretary of State’s protective detail was seen as an honor and privilege reserved for senior agents. However, by the end of CLINTON’s tenure, it was staffed largely with new agents because it was difficult to find senior agents willing to work for her.”
The agent added that she had spoken to several Secret Service agents who reported similar poor treatment from Clinton.
The agent’s claim about awful treatment from Clinton is backed up by some claims from ex-Secret Service agents. Author Ronald Kessler has written several books about the Secret Service, and claims about Clinton treating agents nastily in private are numerous (Bill and Chelsea Clinton, on the other hand, are described positively).
According to the agent, Clinton didn’t just treat agents poorly. She reportedly disrespected U.S. ambassadors with her routine breaches of diplomatic protocol.
“From her own experience, and information obtained through [redacted] and other agents, [redacted] described a ‘stark difference’ between [Condoleezza] RICE and CLINTON with regard to obedience to security and diplomatic protocols,” the summary says. “RICE observed strict adherence to State Department security and diplomatic protocols while CLINTON frequently and ‘blatantly’ disregarded them.”
The agent said that it is standard diplomatic and security protocol for the secretary of state to travel by armored limousine with the U.S. ambassador when visiting a foreign country.
“CLINTON refused to do so, instead choosing to be accompanied in the limousine by her Chief of Staff, HUMA ABEDIN. This frequently resulted in complaints by ambassadors who were insulted and embarrassed by this breach of protocol,” the summary says. Clinton’s breaches of protocol, it adds, were “well-known throughout Diplomatic Security and were ‘abundant.’”
This report, by Blake Neff, was cross-posted by arrangement with the Daily Caller News Foundation.
