Zero Fail: The Rise and Fall of the Secret Service by Carol Leonnig
Zero Fail: The Rise and Fall of the Secret Service by Carol Leonnig
Carol Leonnig has been reporting on the Secret Service for most of the last decade, bringing to light the secrets, scandals, and shortcomings that plague the agency today -- from a toxic work culture to dangerously outdated equipment to the deep resentment within the ranks at agency leaders who put protecting the agency's once-hallowed image before fixing its flaws. But the Secret Service hasn't always been so troubled.
The Secret Service was born in 1865, in the wake of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, but its story begins in earnest in 1963, with the shooting of John F. Kennedy. Shocked into reform by its failure to protect the president on that day in Dallas, this once-sleepy agency was radically transformed into an elite, highly-trained unit that would redeem itself several times, most famously in 1981 by thwarting an assassination attempt against Ronald Reagan. But this reputation for courage and excellence would not last. By Barack Obama's presidency, the Secret Service was beset by mistakes and alarming lapses in judgment: break-ins at the White House, an armed gunman firing into the windows of the residence while confused agents stood by, and a massive prostitution scandal among agents in Cartagena, to name just a few. With the arrival of Donald Trump, a series of promised reforms were cast aside, as a president disdainful of public service abused the Secret Service to rack up political and personal gains.
To explore these problems in the ranks, Leonnig interviewed current and former agents, government officials, and whistleblowers who put their jobs on the line to speak out about a hobbled agency in desperate need of reform. "I will be forever grateful to them for risking their careers," she writes, "not because they wanted to share tantalizing gossip about presidents and their families, but because they know that the Service is broken and needs fixing. By telling their story, they hope to revive the Service they love."
Random House, Hardcover, 1st Edition, 2nd Printing, 2021
THIS IS A BRAND NEW BOOK.