U.S. Secret Service: Threats to and Assaults on Presidents and Vice Presidents

"On January 6, 2021, Vice President Mike Pence was presiding over a joint session of Congress to certify the November 2020 presidential election electoral votes when a crowd breached the U.S. Capitol’s security. Due to these events, some Members of Congress have expressed a renewed interest in U.S. Secret Service (USSS) protective detail operations.

USSS has two mandated missions: (1) criminal investigations, and (2) protection of persons and facilities. Criminal investigations focus primarily on financial crimes, whereas protection focuses on the safety and security of specific government officials and specifically identified government facilities. The criminal investigation mission is the USSS’s oldest mission; however, the protection mission is the one that often receives the most public and media attention. USSS protects the President, Vice President, their families, former Presidents, and major candidates for those offices, along with the White House and the Vice President’s official residence. Protective activities also extend to foreign missions in the District of Columbia (embassies, consulates, residences, and other buildings used by foreign governments) and to designated individuals, such as the Secretary of Homeland Security and visiting dignitaries. Separate from protecting these specific mandated individuals and facilities, USSS is responsible for coordinating security activities for National Special Security Events (NSSE), including inauguration ceremonies, major party quadrennial national conventions, and certain international conferences and events held in the United States.."
U.S. Secret Service