The Washington Post reported Thursday that U.S. Secret Service agents assigned to protect Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump have been forced to go to great lengths to use the bathroom because the couple forbids their protectors from using the facilities in their home.
But a spokesperson for the Secret Service says The Post’s claims were not true.
What are the details?
The Post made waves with a story alleging that Kushner and Trump told agents they were not allowed to use any of the six restrooms in their Washington, D.C., home, causing the guardians major inconveniences whenever nature called.
“After resorting to a porta-potty, as well as bathrooms at the nearby home of former president Barack Obama and the not-so-nearby residence of Vice President Pence, the agents finally found a toilet to call their own,” the newspaper reported, adding, “But it came at a cost to U.S. taxpayers. Since September 2017, the federal government has been spending $3,000 a month — more than $100,000 to date — to rent a basement studio, with a bathroom, from a neighbor of the Kushner family.”
According to The Post—which published pictures and details of the Kushner-Trump residence—”a spokeswoman for the Secret Service initially declined to comment, writing in an email that the agency ‘does not discuss the means, methods or resources utilized to carry out our protective mission.'”
Yet, after the allegations went trending on Twitter and spurred on additional headlines, the agency spokesperson corrected the record.
The Post reported:
But on Thursday evening, eight hours after this story appeared online, she sent a second email with a new statement, saying that the Secret Service tries to have minimal impact on households it protects. “In accordance with this practice, Secret Service personnel do not request access to the facilities at private residences,” she wrote. “Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner have not denied Secret Service personnel access to their home to include use of the restroom.”
The White House also denied the claim, with spokesman Judd Deere telling the outlet:
“When discussions regarding protecting their home were initially had in 2017, Ivanka and Jared made clear that their home would always be open to the incredible men and women on their detail. It was only after a decision by the [Secret Service] was made that their detail sought other accommodations,. The Kushners have a tremendous amount of respect for the servicemen and women on their detail and for the United States Secret Service as a whole. Their home will always be open to them and they have immense gratitude for their service over the last four years.”
After the Secret Service spokeswoman issued her statement to The Post refuting the claims, an assistant to President Donald Trump tweeted, “The @washingtonpost story about Jared and Ivanka today was a lie. The story never made sense, and was simply not true. Now the Secret Service has even denied the story.”