Secret Service investigating how intruder slipped into national security adviser's home


The Secret Service has launched an investigation into how a man was able to make his way into the Washington, D.C., home of President Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, without the agents on guard noticing, three government officials told The Washington Post.
The incident took place one night in late April, at about 3 a.m. After realizing the man was in his home, Sullivan approached him and told him to leave, two of the officials said. Sullivan has a round-the-clock Secret Service detail, but the agents weren't aware of the intruder until Sullivan went outside and notified them. By that time, the unknown man had left, two officials told the Post.
There were no signs of forced entry, the Post reported, and the intruder seemed to be intoxicated and confused about his whereabouts. The government officials said there is no evidence that the man knew Sullivan or wanted to hurt him. Under normal protocol, the intruder would have been detained by the Secret Service for questioning, and most likely arrested and charged with trespassing.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In a statement, Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said the agency is "taking this matter seriously" and opened a "comprehensive mission assurance investigation to review all facets of what occurred. Any deviation from our protective protocols is unacceptable and if discovered, personnel will be held accountable."
National security advisers used to receive Secret Service protection only while traveling outside of Washington, D.C., a senior national security official told the Post, but after the FBI uncovered in 2021 an Iranian plot to assassinate John Bolton, a national security adviser under former President Donald Trump, the Secret Service added a heightened level of security for the position.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
May 31 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include how much to pay for a pardon, medical advice from a brain worm, and a simple solution to the national debt.
-
5 costly cartoons about the national debt
Cartoons Political cartoonists take on the USA's financial hole, rare bipartisan agreement, and Donald Trump and Mike Johnson.
-
Green goddess salad recipe
The Week Recommends Avocado can be the creamy star of the show in this fresh, sharp salad
-
White House tackles fake citations in MAHA report
speed read A federal government public health report spearheaded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was rife with false citations
-
Judge blocks push to bar Harvard foreign students
speed read Judge Allison Burroughs sided with Harvard against the Trump administration's attempt to block the admittance of international students
-
Trump's trade war whipsawed by court rulings
Speed Read A series of court rulings over Trump's tariffs renders the future of US trade policy uncertain
-
Elon Musk departs Trump administration
speed read The former DOGE head says he is ending his government work to spend more time on his companies
-
Trump taps ex-personal lawyer for appeals court
speed read The president has nominated Emil Bove, his former criminal defense lawyer, to be a federal judge
-
US trade court nullifies Trump's biggest tariffs
speed read The US Court of International Trade says Trump exceeded his authority in imposing global tariffs
-
Trump pauses all new foreign student visas
speed read The State Department has stopped scheduling interviews with those seeking student visas in preparation for scrutiny of applicants' social media
-
Trump pardons Virginia sheriff convicted of bribery
speed read Former sheriff Scott Jenkins was sentenced to 10 years in prison on federal bribery and fraud charges