The Secret Service says it is taking “appropriate action” in response to an agent who suggested on social media that she would not protect President Donald Trump from a bullet, McClatchy Newspapers reports. The Washington Examiner had reported that Kerry O’Grady, an agent in Denver, posted on Facebook before the election about her support for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and that she would rather “take jail time over a bullet” for a candidate she despised. The Hatch Act bars Federal employees from commenting publicly on their political positions. In a now-deleted post from October, O’Grady suggested that she had to speak out, “Hatch Act be damned.”
“As a public servant for nearly 23 years, I struggle not to violate the Hatch Act. So I keep quiet and skirt the median,” she wrote. “To do otherwise can be a criminal offense for those in my position. Despite the fact that I am expected to take a bullet for both sides.” The Secret Service said it was “aware of the postings and the agency is taking quick and appropriate action.” O’Grady, who deleted her posts after a few days, told the Examiner her comments were prompted by the leak of an “Access Hollywood” tape that showed the president making lewd comments about sexually assaulting women.