Obama's 'security breach': Secret Service discusses alleged LA incident amid Trump assassination investigation

A Secret Service spokesman dismissed the allegations from an anonymous security guard as “inaccurate” and released a statement obtained by Newsweek and TMZ.

“The Secret Service cannot provide details about our protective measures and methods, but we can confirm that at no time were Secret Service personnel in the vehicle while the individual was walking down the alley. These claims are inaccurate,” the representative said in an email Wednesday. He also added, “The photo in question was taken upon departure and not during the alleged incident.”

On the contrary, an eyewitness painted a different picture in his interview with TMZ when describing the alleged incident. The person claimed that an armed security guard came within inches of Obama and observed him sitting in the back seat of his SUV, sipping on a laptop. He claimed that he panicked when he realized he was armed and at the mercy of the Secret Service and immediately walked away from the vehicle.

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The security guard said the former president's vehicle was parked outside the Mother Wolf restaurant on a Hollywood back alley at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. The armed man, who was on duty for a bar mitzvah that day, said he went downstairs at some point when someone told him federal agents were stationed outside.

After descending a flight of stairs, the man appeared to spot two Secret Service agents in the alley. On the other side, he saw a black SUV with Department of Homeland Security plates. The media outlet also shared a snapshot that provides a view of the SUV from the security guard's point of view. The eyewitness had no idea Obama was in the vehicle until he approached the passenger side.

After the man walked away from the vehicle, he greeted officers on the street, who he said were surprised to see him.

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Obama's daughters Malia and Sasha were photographed having dinner with the former president at the same restaurant. The security guard's understanding was that the incident was clearly a “security lapse” by the Secret Service, as “no one was in the back of the SUV, nor was there anyone guarding the stairwell.” He also believed that the agents were “obviously embarrassed by the situation.”

The alleged incident was reported shortly after two assassination attempts on Donald Trump within a matter of months. As the agency faces a barrage of criticism, other emerging reports also say that a US Secret Service agent was accused of sexually harassing a member of Vice President Kamala Harris' official staff during a trip last week.