Kerry O’Grady, a senior secret service agent in the Denver field office, took to Facebook to vent her frustrations with Donald Trump, a move that could possibly cost her to lose her job.
In a series of now-deleted Facebook posts, O’Grady proudly supported Hillary Clinton during the campaign and said that she would not honor the Hatch Act, a federal law that prevents agents from publicly expressing their political beliefs.
“As a public servant for nearly 23 years, I struggle not to violate the Hatch Act. So I keep quiet and skirt the median,” she wrote in a Facebook post from October. “To do otherwise can be a criminal offense for those in my position. Despite the fact that I am expected to take a bullet for both sides.”
She continued, “But this world has changed and I have changed. And I would take jail time over a bullet or an endorsement for what I believe to be disaster to this country and the strong and amazing women and minorities who reside here. Hatch Act be damned. I am with Her.”
O’Grady has shown her public disdain for Trump for over 7 months, according to the Washington Examiner.
O’Grady tells the Washington Examiner that she took the posts down two or three days later, after some self reflection.
“It was an internal struggle for me but as soon as I put it up, I thought it was not the sentiment that I needed to share because I care very deeply about the mission,” she said.
Even post election, O’Grady expressed some anti-Trump views. Following the inauguration, she updated her profile picture to an artist’s rendering of Princess Leia with the words, “A woman’s place is in the resistance.”
The Secret Service said Tuesday that they are taking “appropriate action” after O’Grady’s posts.
“All Secret Service agents and employees are held to the highest standards of professional and ethical conduct,” the agency said in a statement. “Any allegations of misconduct are taken seriously and swiftly investigated.”
O’Grady has also released a public statement:
“I serve this country with pride and I proudly diligently and fiercely protect and support the institutions and pillars of our republic established by the very same document that allows my free expression. I do so with every fiber of my being for the very reason that those institutions are in place to guarantee my right and the rights of all our citizens to voice and express our opinions and beliefs even when and especially when those values may be contrary to those of the party in power. My devotion to mission and country is only strengthened by the fact that the founders recognize the value of dissent and the freedom to assemble and voice those opposing convictions.
They enshrine those rights for future generations so we avoid the path of authoritarian regimes that shackle their people with fear.”
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