Security details for Donald Trump were leaked to an unsuspecting member of the public in a major blunder. The US President attended the men’s singles final at the US Open in New York last weekend.
The nearby area was flooded with secret service agents, who were stationed at various points. One agent was placed at the 545-bed Elmhurst Hospital Centre in Queens, also known as NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst. Staff at the hospital started a text chat chain to discuss the heightened security measures and protocols.
However, a hospital official added a random member of the public to the chat, who was not an employee of the hospital.
The initial message, from a senior hospital official read: “Happy Sunday…just updating.. a Secret Service agent from White House Medical Unit just called..will be posted by the hospital until around 6pm for usual precaution when #1 is passing via.
“We will get him situated per the usual plan. But no reason for action on your part..just awareness.”
Three hospital officials responded to the text, one said: “Noted. Thank you.”
When the citizen – who wishes to remain anonymous – realised they had been wrongly included in the conversation, they wrote: “Ummmm I am certainly not a part of this convo”. A hospital official responded with the words “OK thanks”.
The citizen later told journalists: “I could not believe it – I thought it was a prank.
“I looked up the numbers, and I could see how they were all medical officials in New York City.”
Officials vigorously denied there had been any major breach of security protocols that could have endangered the life of the US President.
A spokesperson for NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, said: “It’s no secret that NYC Health + Hospitals serves as the designated medical entity for US Presidents and other visiting dignitaries.
“As the largest municipal hospital system in the country, our mission is to care for all without exception.”
United States Secret Service Official said: “The U.S. Secret Service has a long-standing practice of assigning agents to medical facilities in support of protective visits. There was no security impact to this event and pre-event communication between the Secret Service and our partners is standard.”
