Roles
Today the agency's primary investigative mission is to safeguard the payment and financial systems of the United States. These include crimes that involve financial institution fraud, computer and telecommunications fraud, false identification documents, access device fraud, advance fee fraud, electronic funds transfers and money laundering as it relates to the agency's core violations. After the 1901 assassination of President William McKinley, Congress also directed the Secret Service to protect the President of the United States. Protection remains the other key mission of the United States Secret Service.
Today, the Secret Service is authorized by law to protect:
- The President, the Vice President (or other officer next in the order of succession to the Office of President, should the vice presidency be vacant), the President-elect, and the Vice President-elect
- The immediate families of the above individuals
- Former Presidents and their spouses for their lifetimes except when the spouse divorces or remarries. In 1997, legislation became effective limiting Secret Service protection to former Presidents and their spouses for a period of 10 years from the date the former President leaves office, making Bill and Hillary Clinton the last to receive lifetime protection
- The widow or widower of a former President who dies in office or dies within a year of leaving office for a period of one year after the President's death (the Secretary of Homeland Security can extend the protection time)
- Children of former Presidents until 16 or 10 years after the presidency.
- Former Vice Presidents, their spouses, and their children under age for up to 6 months from the date the former Vice President leaves office (the Secretary of Homeland Security can extend the protection time)
- Visiting heads of states or governments and their spouses traveling with them,
- Other distinguished foreign visitors to the United States and official representatives of the United States performing special missions abroad, as directed by the President
- Major presidential and vice presidential candidates
- The spouses of major presidential and vice presidential candidates (within 120 days of a general presidential election)
- Other individuals as designated per executive order of the President
- National Special Security Events, when designated as such by the Secretary of Homeland Security
Any of these individuals may decline Secret Service protection, with the exception of the President, the Vice President (or other officer next in the order of succession to the Office of President), the President-elect, and the Vice President-elect.
When Hillary Clinton became Secretary of State in 2009, the Secret Service continued to protect her at home; however the Diplomatic Security Service protects her while she is performing her duties as the Secretary of State, including any foreign travel.
The Secret Service investigates thousands of incidents a year of individuals threatening the President of the United States.
Read more about this topic: United States Secret Service
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