Ex-Secret Service Agent Who Protected Clinton Shares ‘Nonpartisan’ Rundown of Why Her Fainting Video ‘Really Scares’ Him
Tré Goins-Phillips
Hillary Clinton’s collapse over the weekend has sparked renewed questions about the Democratic presidential nominee’s health, and now a former Secret Service agent who worked with the Clintons is weighing in. In an editorial at the Independent Journal Review, Gary Byrne, who protected the first family when Bill Clinton was president as an officer in the Secret Service Uniform Division from 1993-2003, said the video of the medical episode “really scares” him. According to Byrne, who penned the book “Crisis of Character” about his experience with the Clintons, it is what happens in the moments between the Secret Service van pulling up outside the 9/11 memorial service in New York City and Clinton getting in that is worrisome. When the van first pulls up, the Democratic candidate is leaning against a bollard next to the street curb as staffers appear to help her keep her balance. Byrne found it particularly puzzling that, when the vehicle approached, no one immediately moved to get Clinton inside. “The Secret Service doesn’t like to wait — standing still in the eyes of the Service is waiting for an attack to happen,” Byrne wrote. “But the staffer can’t move Mrs. Clinton. Anything that holds up a motorcade is extremely dangerous and anything that ties up a Secret Service agent’s hands from drawing their pistol or intervening a threat is a hazard.” When, seconds later, the Secret Service agents begin to move Clinton into the van, one officer crossed in front of the presidential nominee, briefly blocking her access to the van’s door — something Byrne described as an “oddity” that is “very telling.” He went on to describe how the agents finally got Clinton into the vehicle, a short process during which the former secretary of state appeared to collapse. But it was what the Secret Service didn’t do that Byrne described as “very disturbing.” He wrote:
Byrne went on to suggest Clinton’s security detail “knew that there was something very wrong” going on, and they were prepared for it. “She’s putting herself, her party, and her Secret Service detail at risk. Her health is directly tied to the health of our country and we deserve treatment,” he concluded. It was first reported by Clinton’s campaign that the candidate’s medical ordeal was the result of dehydration, but several hours later, staffers disclosed that Clinton was diagnosed Friday with pneumonia. She was taken to her daughter Chelsea’s New York apartment to recuperate. Clinton has modified her campaign travel plan, canceling multiple fundraising events in California previously scheduled for Monday and Tuesday. She is expected to resume campaigning again later this week and will also be releasing additional medical information in the coming days. |