USA Today published an article today that was so egregiously misleading that every hotel that leaves this joke of a publication outside the doors for their guests to read, should be ashamed to be peddling such trash. (Even if it is free..and we all know what they say: ?If it?s free?It?s ?free? for a reason?.) USA Today is one of the most virulently anti-Trump publications you will find anywhere. Much like the morning shows, whose morning talk hosts greet their viewers with cheerful dispositions and big white smiles, while sticking daggers into our president and his family, USA Today can be found as in almost every hotel in America as a complimentary source of news for their guests.
USA Today comes across to the everyday American as a friendly publication that gives Americans a snapshot into the latest national news without any bias. Unfortunately, nothing could be further than the truth. USA Today?s stories are so anti-Trump, they should almost come with a warning label for anyone who?s looking for honest journalism and unbiased news.
An article that appeared today, in the USA Today talked about the dire financial situation that President Trump and his family have caused with their ?with an unprecedented number of White House protectees.?
Shortly after the article was published, Secret Service Director Randolph ?Tex? Alles released a statement refuting what USA Today claimed he said. The quotes in red in the USA Today article below are from the Secret Service Director?s statement.
Exclusive: Secret Service depletes funds to pay agents because of Trump?s frequent travel, large family
USA Today ? The Secret Service can no longer pay hundreds of agents it needs to carry out an expanded protective mission ? in large part due to the sheer size of President Trump?s family and efforts necessary to secure their multiple residences up and down the East Coast.
Here?s what Secret Service Director Randolph ?Tex? Alles said about the Secret Service running out of money:
?The Secret Service has the funding it needs to meet all current mission requirements for the remainder of the fiscal year and compensate employees for overtime within statutory pay caps.?
Secret Service Director Randolph ?Tex? Alles, in an interview with USA TODAY, said more than 1,000 agents have already hit the federally mandated caps for salary and overtime allowances that were meant to last the entire year.
OOPS! It looks like the same thing happened in 2016 while Barack Obama was President:
The Secret Service estimates that roughly 1,100 employees will work overtime hours in excess of statutory pay caps during calendar year 2017. Our agency experienced a similar situation in calendar year 2016 that resulted in legislation that allowed Secret Service employees to exceed statutory caps on pay.
The agency has faced a crushing workload since the height of the contentious election season, and it has not relented in the first seven months of the administration. Agents must protect Trump ? who has traveled almost every weekend to his properties in Florida, New Jersey and Virginia ? and his adult children whose business trips and vacations have taken them across the country and overseas.
To remedy this ongoing and serious problem, the agency has worked closely with the Department of Homeland Security, the Administration, and the Congress over the past several months to find a legislative solution. As we work to ensure that employees are compensated for the hours they work, the Secret Service continues its rigorous hiring of special agents, Uniformed Division officers, and critical support staff to meet future mission requirements.
?The president has a large family, and our responsibility is required in law,? Alles said. ?I can?t change that. I have no flexibility.?
The law, Title 18 US Code 3056, details protection requirements for the President, Vice President and their immediate family members.
Alles said the service is grappling with an unprecedented number of White House protectees. Under Trump, 42 people have protection, a number that includes 18 members of his family. That?s up from 31 during the Obama administration.
Does USA Today really believe the average American is so stupid that they?ve already forgotten about the several separate vacations that the former first lady took while her husband golfed almost every weekend that he was in office? What about her notorious trip to Spain where she brought most of her entire ?friends and family list? courtesy of the American taxpayers?
The people you see surrounding former First Lady Michele Obama on her luxury African Safari are Michelle?s family members. Yes, the American taxpayer paid for her luxury African Safari with her brother, cousins and of course, her mother, who lived in the White House for Barack?s entire 8-year term, and traveled to all of their overseas destinations courtesy of, you guessed it, the American taxpayer.
Surely USA Today doesn?t believe we?ve already forgotten about Barack Obama?s obsession with golf, that more than one time, took him and his lovely wife to opposite sides of the country to satisfy their individual 5-star travel needs:
Overwork and constant travel have also been driving a recent exodus from the Secret Service ranks, yet without congressional intervention to provide additional funding, Alles will not even be able to pay agents for the work they have already done.
The compensation crunch is so serious that the director has begun discussions with key lawmakers to raise the combined salary and overtime cap for agents, from $160,000 per year to $187,000 for at least the duration of Trump?s first term.
But even if such a proposal was approved, about 130 veteran agents would not be fully compensated for hundreds of hours already amassed, according to the agency.
And finally, the same Secret Service Director Randolph ?Tex? Alles who allegedly gave USA Today the ?exclusive? scoop about how the Trump family were draining the Secret Service funds dry, concluded his statement with this:
This issue is not one that can be attributed to the current Administration?s protection requirements alone, but rather has been an ongoing issue for nearly a decade due to an overall increase in operational tempo.
Here?s the actual statement from Secret Service Director Randolph ?Tex? Alles:
This isn?t the first time USA Today was caught fabricating a story to make President Trump look bad to their readers. In April of 2017, USA TODAY was caught fabricating a story about an innocent ?Dreamer? being deported. Click HERE to read the story.
