When a Secret Service agent phoned Ronald Kessler on April 13 and tipped him off that agents in Cartagena, Colombia, were being investigated for partying with prostitutes,
he was chagrined but not surprised.
“He was one of the agents who believes the President is in jeopardy because of cost-cutting and laziness,” Kessler says.
The call to Kessler was the initial tip that would lead to a media frenzy and the most serious scandal to rock the Secret
Service in decades. Kessler developed his sources as the author of In the President’s Secret Service: Behind the Scenes with Agents in the Line of Fire and the Presidents They Protect.
His first call was to the Secret Service to confirm the tip. The spokesman said there had been “misconduct” and “agents were
being withdrawn from Columbia,” where President Obama was scheduled to attend a summit.
Kessler’s next move was to e-mail Marcus Brauchli, executive editor of the Washington Post. He immediately called and outlined his scoop.
“I gave it to him directly,” Kessler tells The Washingtonian. “He was really excited. I said, ‘You can have the story. Just credit me.'”
The Post broke the story the next day and noted in the seventh paragraph that it was “alerted to the investigation” by Kessler.
Kessler, 68, is the chief Washington correspondent for Newsmax, a conservative website. So why slip the tip to the Washington Post?
“Newsmax lets me work with other media,” he says, “and the Post, where I still have a relationship, has greater impact and has become a fair and trustworthy paper under Katharine Weymouth
and Marcus Brauchli.
“I have a relationship with the paper,” he adds. “I wouldn’t call it loyalty.”
Kessler worked as a reporter at the Post from 1970 to 1985. Since leaving the Post he’s written a number of best-selling nonfiction books, as well as writing for Newsmax.
Once the story broke, Kessler did more than 100 interviews and appearances, including all three network nightly news shows,
the Today show, and a Telemundo show.
“It’s been wild,” he says.
Reaction from the agency has been mixed.
“Many agents I talked to are thanking me,” he says. “I represent them and their causes. Other agents are very defensive and
resent the bad news getting out. I’m not sure it would have become public if that agent had not called me.”
Kessler’s Secret Service book came out in 2009. He’s maintained ties with many agents, and he’s worried.
“On one hand the agents are very brave and dedicated.
They would take a bullet for the President,” he says. “Then there’s
the Secret Service management. They say they can make do with
less, the agency is the greatest, and everything is fine.” But,
he says, “it’s not fine–the agency does not back its agents.”
Kessler says Secret Service agents make do with
inferior firearms and less training, and adds, “It could result in an
assassination.”
This post has been updated from an earlier version. We apologize for any confusion.
Ronald Kessler Talks About Breaking the Secret Service Scandal
The author and former “Post” reporter received a phone tip that kicked off a media frenzy.
When a Secret Service agent phoned
Ronald Kessler on April 13 and tipped him off that agents in Cartagena, Colombia, were being investigated for partying with prostitutes,
he was chagrined but not surprised.
“He was one of the agents who believes the President is in jeopardy because of cost-cutting and laziness,” Kessler says.
The call to Kessler was the initial tip that would lead to a media frenzy and the most serious scandal to rock the Secret
Service in decades. Kessler developed his sources as the author of
In the President’s Secret Service: Behind the Scenes with Agents in the Line of Fire and the Presidents They Protect.
His first call was to the Secret Service to confirm the tip. The spokesman said there had been “misconduct” and “agents were
being withdrawn from Columbia,” where President Obama was scheduled to attend a summit.
Kessler’s next move was to e-mail
Marcus Brauchli, executive editor of the
Washington Post. He immediately called and outlined his scoop.
“I gave it to him directly,” Kessler tells
The Washingtonian. “He was really excited. I said, ‘You can have the story. Just credit me.'”
The
Post broke the story the next day and noted in the seventh paragraph that it was “alerted to the investigation” by Kessler.
Kessler, 68, is the chief Washington correspondent for Newsmax, a conservative website. So why slip the tip to the
Washington Post?
“Newsmax lets me work with other media,” he says, “and the
Post, where I still have a relationship, has greater impact and has become a fair and trustworthy paper under Katharine Weymouth
and Marcus Brauchli.
“I have a relationship with the paper,” he adds. “I wouldn’t call it loyalty.”
Kessler worked as a reporter at the
Post from 1970 to 1985. Since leaving the
Post he’s written a number of best-selling nonfiction books, as well as writing for Newsmax.
Once the story broke, Kessler did more than 100 interviews and appearances, including all three network nightly news shows,
the
Today show, and a Telemundo show.
“It’s been wild,” he says.
Reaction from the agency has been mixed.
“Many agents I talked to are thanking me,” he says. “I represent them and their causes. Other agents are very defensive and
resent the bad news getting out. I’m not sure it would have become public if that agent had not called me.”
Kessler’s Secret Service book came out in 2009. He’s maintained ties with many agents, and he’s worried.
“On one hand the agents are very brave and dedicated.
They would take a bullet for the President,” he says. “Then there’s
the Secret Service management. They say they can make do with
less, the agency is the greatest, and everything is fine.” But,
he says, “it’s not fine–the agency does not back its agents.”
Kessler says Secret Service agents make do with
inferior firearms and less training, and adds, “It could result in an
assassination.”
This post has been updated from an earlier version. We apologize for any confusion.
Most Popular in News & Politics
Georgetown Cupcake Shut Down by DC Health Department
What to Expect From the Lady Gaga Concert Tonight at Nats Park
“Hamilton” Cast and DC-Area Citizens Mobilized to Reunite an Actor With His Lost Dog
Photos: Intense Flooding Around DC During Last Night’s Storm
Why Is the National Archives Pursuing Trump’s Records? A Former Official Explains.
Washingtonian Magazine
August 2022: Taco Town
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
Guest List: 5 People We’d Love to Hang Out With This August
Why Do We Care So Much About Presidential Pooches?
The Tiny DC Art Space With a 20-Year History
Telling the Stories of 7,700 People Buried at Arlington Cemetery
More from News & Politics
Washington Wizards Reintroduce Classic Uniforms
Photos: Intense Flooding Around DC During Last Night’s Storm
Georgetown Cupcake Shut Down by DC Health Department
Summer Days at Some DC Public Pools Can Be Like a Party
“Hamilton” Cast and DC-Area Citizens Mobilized to Reunite an Actor With His Lost Dog
Why Is the National Archives Pursuing Trump’s Records? A Former Official Explains.
Adams Morgan’s 18th Street Will Become a Pedestrian Zone on Select Sundays
Virginia Drivers Are Buying More Pro-Choice License Plates