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Secret Service 'Stretched by Dozens of Daily Prez Threats'
By Rob Quinn
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Posted Aug 4, 09 2:09 AM CDT
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(Newser)
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The Secret Service is struggling to cope with a huge number of threats being made against President Obama, according to the author of a new book on the agency. Threats against the president have quadrupled since Obama took office to some 30 a day, few of which are publicized for fear of attracting copycats, according to writer Ronald Kessler. Instead of boosting agent numbers, however, the service has ordered agents to work longer hours and skip training sessions, reports the Telegraph.
We have half the number of agents we need, but requests for more agents have fallen on deaf ears at headquarters," one agent told Kessler. "Headquarters' mentality has always been, 'You can complete the mission with what you have. You're a USSS agent,'" Because of corner-cutting at the agency, there have been numerous gaps in security that an assassin could exploit, Kessler claims.