Secret Service for The President

Published on October 15, 2004 By JillUser In Politics

I recieved an email today and couldn't find anything on Urban Legends regarding this so I am hoping someone out there might know. The email warned that if Kerry is elected we will have to pay for secret service ....um, service at all of Kerry's homes (that would be 5) for the rest of his life. Is this true?

I was aware that Presidents have secret service agents with them at all times and that they are protected by them for the remainder of their life but I didn't know that they were required to staff all of the president's properties. Then again, no president has had as many properties to worry about as Kerry would.

I did find out in my fact checking efforts that if elected, Kerry will be the third richest president in history. According to Forbes (as in John Forbes Kerry) magazine George Washington was the richest and then, of course, JFK. Wow, they had to go all the way back to the first president to be able to find two that were wealthier than Kerry!

Comments

Myrrander

on Oct 15, 2004

Jill:

I pulled this from www.snopes.com. They say that this is an untrue rumor.

This link includes a version of the e-mail message, but here's Snopes.com's explanation.

Link

The fact that Senator John Kerry's middle name is "Forbes" is about the only piece of information this latest political diatribe gets right.

John Kerry and his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, together own several homes, but since they signed a prenuptial agreement and have kept their premarital assets separate, a Boston townhouse (which John Kerry mortgaged in 2003 to finance his presidential bid) is the only one of these homes that they technically own as a couple. The government is obligated to provide Secret Service protection to the President and his immediate family, so if John Kerry were elected to that office, of course he and his family would be entitled to the same level of security detail that the Secret Service provides to every President. That protection might indeed include the use of public funds to pay the costs of installation and maintenance for security systems at some of the Kerrys' homes, because the protection of First Families is viewed as a right and proper charge upon the nation. Security measures of this level would not be specific to the Kerrys; the homes of all Presidents are treated this way, as (to a lesser extent) are the homes of all former Presidents.

It is not true, however, that every single residence owned by the either of the Kerrys (whether it be in America or abroad) would be staffed by five Secret Service agents around the clock, and that those agents would be guarding the Kerrys and all their properties for the rest of John Kerry's life. Secret Service staffing levels vary as the situation requires, and lifetime protection for former Presidents and their spouses was eliminated by Congressional legislation in 1997. President Clinton and his wife, Hillary, are the last First Couple who will receive such a benefit; President George W. Bush and all who succeed him in the White House will be limited to receiving Secret Service protection for a period of not more than 10 years from the time they leave office.

In any case, the idea that U.S. voters would have to pay higher taxes if John Kerry were elected President in order to "protect his investments" is just silly. The projected U.S. federal budget for 2005 is $2.4 trillion — the amount of money spent to protect the President and his family (whoever that President might be) is but a teeny-tiny fraction of a drop in that vast bucket. The only thing sillier than that notion that taxes would have to be raised to protect a putative President Kerry is the suggestion that the cost of Secret Service protection should be a factor in voters' choosing who should serve as President of the United States.

For more information about the protection afforded former Presidents, see our article about a similar rumor that was attached to the previous First Couple when President Bill Clinton left office in 2001.

Last updated: 2 October 2004

JillUser

on Oct 15, 2004

I suspected the full time service was incorrect. I also agree that it would be stupid to make a decision on who to vote for by who would cost more for secret service.

drmiler

on Oct 15, 2004

The Secret Service has announced it is doubling its protection for John Kerry. You can understand why - with two positions on every issue, he has twice as many people mad at him." - Jay Leno

JillUser

on Oct 15, 2004

drmiller, thanks for the laugh!

drmiler

on Oct 15, 2004

Reply #4 By: JillUser - 10/15/2004 1:03:40 PM
drmiller, thanks for the laugh!

You are most welcome. As a disliker of Kerry (me) I get these kind of mails all the time. But this one I thought to be worth posting if for nothing more than a good laugh.

Welcome Guest! Please take the time to register with us.
There are many great features available to you once you register, including:

Richer content, access to many features that are disabled for guests like commenting on the forums.
Access to a great community, with a massive database of many, many areas of interest.
Access to contests & subscription offers like exclusive emails.
It's simple, and FREE!