Kathy Griffin claims Trump sicced the Secret Service on her


Comedian Kathy Griffin is worried about the Secret Service.
Griffin told ABC News on Friday that President Trump ordered the Secret Service to investigate her because of his personal "vendetta" against the comedian.
Griffin was heavily criticized last year after she published a doctored image of herself holding Trump's decapitated head. The bloodied severed head was a joke, Griffin has said, but law enforcement officials took it very seriously. She told ABC News that the Secret Service interviewed her for several hours to evaluate whether she was making threats against the president, but not merely as a routine investigation.
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.
"You know, [Trump] has a vendetta against certain people," said Griffin, who later noted that the president simply "can't take a joke." When host Brad Mielke asked if she thought Trump had personally sent officials to target her, Griffin's response was "of course. You know how he works." Griffin didn't provide any evidence, but chalked it up to a personal beef between the two.
Furthermore, Griffin alleged that certain media outlets had conspired to manufacture outrage against the comedian over the photo. She said that Fox News and host Sean Hannity had coordinated with TMZ to throw her into "the Trump wood chipper."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.
-
Japan's surname conundrum
Under the Radar Law requiring couples to share one surname hinders women in the workplace and lowers birth rate, campaigners claim
-
How successful would Elon Musk's third party be?
Today's Big Question Musk has vowed to start a third party after falling out with Trump
-
Music reviews: Bruce Springsteen and Benson Boone
Feature "Tracks II: The Lost Albums" and "American Heart"
-
Thai court suspends prime minister over leaked call
Speed Read Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended, pending an ethics investigation
-
Senate passes GOP megabill after Alaska side deal
The pivotal yes vote came from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, whose support was secured following negotiated side deals for her home state Alaska
-
Trump sues LA over immigration policies
Speed Read He is suing over the city's sanctuary law, claiming it prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities
-
Obama, Bush and Bono eulogize USAID on final day
Speed Read The US Agency for International Development, a humanitarian organization, has been gutted by the Trump administration
-
The last words and final moments of 40 presidents
The Explainer Some are eloquent quotes worthy of the holders of the highest office in the nation, and others... aren't
-
Senate advances GOP bill that costs more, cuts more
Speed Read The bill would make giant cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, leaving 11.8 million fewer people with health coverage
-
Canadian man dies in ICE custody
Speed Read A Canadian citizen with permanent US residency died at a federal detention center in Miami
-
GOP races to revise megabill after Senate rulings
Speed Read A Senate parliamentarian ruled that several changes to Medicaid included in Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" were not permissible