Kamala Harris Was Involved in a Minor Motorcade Accident Earlier This Week: 'No Injuries to Anyone'

Anna Lazarus Caplan
·2 min read
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US Vice President Kamala Harris visits the site of a shooting which left seven dead in Highland Park, Illinois
US Vice President Kamala Harris visits the site of a shooting which left seven dead in Highland Park, Illinois

Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

Vice President Kamala Harris was involved in a minor car accident on Monday, an event initially described as a "mechanical failure," according to multiple reports.

A Secret Service agent driving Harris, 57, in an SUV struck a curb near Foggy Bottom in Washington, D.C., according to The Washington Post.

"During a protective movement Monday, a vehicle in a motorcade had a minor overcorrection and struck a curb," Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement on Thursday, per CNN. "The protectee was transferred to a secondary vehicle and the motorcade continued to its destination. There were no injuries to anyone."

The Post reported that the impact caused tire damage and brought the vice president's motorcade to a stop. One of the first rules of driving in motorcades is to avoid halting whenever possible, because it makes the dignitary a sitting target out in the open.

RELATED: Secret Service Erased Text Messages from Jan. 6 Following Capitol Riot, Inspector General Says

At first, the Secret Service's protective intelligence division communicated that the accident was a mechanical failure, per the outlet, but Secret Service Director Kim Cheatle told the newspaper that the initial communication did not accurately reflect what had actually happened.

The incident is the latest in recent months involving the Secret Service and possible security lapses.

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In July, Department of Homeland Security Inspector General Joseph Cuffari sent a letter to the House and Senate Homeland Security Committee, saying that the U.S. Secret Service deleted text messages from Jan. 5 and Jan. 6, 2021 following the Capitol Riot. The messages were allegedly erased after his office requested the texts for their probe of the riots.

Meanwhile, two Secret Service agents stationed in South Korea for President Joe Biden's Asia tour in May were sent home after an altercation with a cab driver and two Korean nationals, according to ABC News.

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And a month earlier, four agency employees were put on leave after being duped by two men who claimed to be Department of Homeland Security agents, according to the Washington Post.