(The Center Square) – A bill backed by Democrats would strip people of Secret Service protection if they are convicted of a felony.
The fact sheet specifically says the measure would apply to former President Donald Trump, who faces 88 felony charges across four separate cases.
“This measure would apply to former President Trump,” according to the fact sheet. “It also would apply to all Secret Service protectees convicted and sentenced under felony charges.”
U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Mississippi, Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, introduced the Denying Infinite Security and Government Resources Allocated toward Convicted and Extremely Dishonorable Former Protectees Act or the DISGRACED Former Protectees Act.
This legislation would change the U.S. Secret Service’s protective mission by automatically terminating protection for those who have been sentenced to prison following conviction for a federal or state felony. It would make prison authorities responsible for the protection of all inmates regardless of previous Secret Service protection.
“Unfortunately, current law doesn’t anticipate how Secret Service protection would impact the felony prison sentence of a protectee – even a former President,” Thompson said in a statement. “It is regrettable that it has come to this, but this previously unthought-of scenario could become our reality. Therefore, it is necessary for us to be prepared and update the law so the American people can be assured that protective status does not translate into special treatment – and that those who are sentenced to prison will indeed serve the time required of them.”
According to a fact sheet, the bill would “remove the potential for conflicting lines of authority within prisons and allow judges to weigh the sentencing of individuals without having to factor in the logistical concerns of convicts with Secret Service protection.”
This legislation is co-sponsored by Reps. Troy Carter Sr., Barbara Lee, Frederica Wilson, Yvette Clarke, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Jasmine Crockett, Joyce Beatty, and Steve Cohen.
