The weird inaccuracies in Ronald Kessler's new book on the Secret Service

Kessler should question the judgment of some of his own sources

Secret Service
(Image credit: (Joe Raedle/Getty Images))

In a calmer world, Ronald Kessler's second book about the U.S. Secret Service might have made more waves. In The First Family Detail, there are salacious details about Bill Clinton's alleged mistress (although Kessler stops short of actually accusing him of having sex with another woman), the cringe-worthy mental image of Joe Biden swimming naked, and a bunch of gossip about current and former protectees.

If Kessler truly had penetrated deep inside an enigmatic agency that is struggling with some scandals and demographic change, then I would wholly recommend the book to you. But there are a surprising number of weird inaccuracies that should lead Kessler to question the judgment of some of his own sources.

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Marc Ambinder

Marc Ambinder is TheWeek.com's editor-at-large. He is the author, with D.B. Grady, of The Command and Deep State: Inside the Government Secrecy Industry. Marc is also a contributing editor for The Atlantic and GQ. Formerly, he served as White House correspondent for National Journal, chief political consultant for CBS News, and politics editor at The Atlantic. Marc is a 2001 graduate of Harvard. He is married to Michael Park, a corporate strategy consultant, and lives in Los Angeles.