Kenneth P. Vogel, Josh Dawsey
PoliticoFri, 17 Mar 2017 05:26 UTC
© AOL.com
federal and New York City law enforcement sources told POLITICO.
The Secret Service laptop, which contained
information about the layout and evacuation routes in Trump Tower, was still missing as of Friday afternoon, according to multiple sources familiar with the investigation.
Two of the sources said that some items stolen from the vehicle — including
a set of lapel pins that allow agents entry into security perimeters around dignitaries protected by the Secret Service —
had been recovered in the vicinity soon after the break-in. One person who is in contact with the Secret Service said that an
agency-issued radio used for secure closed-circuit communications also was among the stolen items, but the person did not know whether it had been recovered.
The Secret Service declined to comment on the pins or the radio. But, in a statement, the agency said that it is investigating the laptop theft with help from the New York City Police Department. The statement stressed that
agency-issued laptops "contain multiple layers of security including full disk encryption" that prevent unauthorized individuals from accessing their contents.A law enforcement official who has worked with the Secret Service said that, in order
to access agency computers, users need an authorized electronic identity card and at least two different passwords.
The closed-circuit agency radios are encrypted, said the person who is in contact with the Secret Service. Nonetheless, the incident provoked alarm among law enforcement officials.
One official characterized as
highly sensitive the information on the laptop about the physical layout of Trump Tower, where President Donald Trump's family maintains a residence and the Trump Organization and campaign maintain offices.
The official said
the theft of the laptop feeds the perception that that there's a "culture of complacency among the agents as to the gravitas of the mission."The missing laptop is the latest embarrassment for the agency, after recent revelations about an intruder who managed to
jump the White House fence and
evade apprehension for 15 minutes, as well as an investigation into two agents who reportedly are
under investigation for taking photos with Trump's sleeping grandson.
Comment: Not-so Secret Service? What kind of lousy protocol and security is this? The fact that there are built-in inhibitors to data access (no guarantee!) does not ameliorate or excuse lax safety measures...especially when it affects the POTUS! Perhaps we should not be worried about the evil 'out there' as much as the evil among us. One would surmise the CIA/NSA/FBI/Secret Service could locate any of their equipment at any time, no matter where it is. Single laptop, lots of sensitive information threats and scares...let's stay tuned and see where this goes. Read on:
UPDATE 3/17/2017,
RT:
Included on the stolen laptop were data on the Hillary Clinton criminal email investigation and other national security information.
The laptop was stolen from the Secret Service agent's motorbike in the driveway of a Brooklyn home on Thursday morning, according to a source who spoke to the New York Post.
Several coins and a black bag with the Secret Service insignia on it were later recovered, but the laptop and the sensitive documents remain missing.
"The Secret Service is very heavily involved and, citing national security, there's very little we have on our side," a police source told the New York Daily News. "It's a very big deal."
Video surveillance shows the thief arriving at the agent's home in a car, walking right up to her motorcycle, and taking the items. He was seen fleeing the scene.
The person who took the laptop also swiped the agent's access keycard, sources said.
While nothing about the White House or foreign leaders is stored on the laptop, the information on there could compromise national security, the agent told investigators.
NYPD officers were assisting in the investigation but had little information about what's on the laptop, sources said.
UPDATE 3/20,
TMZ also reports that the thief was caught on surveillance video and seemed to know exactly what he was looking for:
The thief who swiped a Secret Service agent's laptop targeted the agent in question and knew exactly what he was after ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ.
Our sources say the thief -- whom they say is a man -- was caught on surveillance video pulling up to the agent's driveway in an Uber at around 3 AM Thursday.
The video shows the man make a beeline for the agent's car, removing a backpack with the computer inside and then walking off. As we reported, the hard drive contained Trump Tower floor plans and evacuation protocols, but the agency insists there was no classified info inside.
The thief also made off with a passport and several Secret Service lapel pins.
Comment: Not-so Secret Service? What kind of lousy protocol and security is this? The fact that there are built-in inhibitors to data access (no guarantee!) does not ameliorate or excuse lax safety measures...especially when it affects the POTUS! Perhaps we should not be worried about the evil 'out there' as much as the evil among us. One would surmise the CIA/NSA/FBI/Secret Service could locate any of their equipment at any time, no matter where it is. Single laptop, lots of sensitive information threats and scares...let's stay tuned and see where this goes. Read on:
UPDATE 3/17/2017, RT:
UPDATE 3/20, TMZ also reports that the thief was caught on surveillance video and seemed to know exactly what he was looking for: