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The U.S. Secret Service is confronting what agency leaders describe as the most dangerous threat environment in its history, with investigations into threats against government officials rising 40 percent this year.
Secret Service Director Sean Curran said Tuesday that both the number and seriousness of threats have reached unprecedented levels during his 24 years with the agency.
“The numbers at this agency are certainly something I have never seen in my 24-year career,” Curran said during a press briefing ahead of the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. “They’re off the charts.”
Curran said the heightened threat environment extends beyond federal officials under Secret Service protection.
“I think the environment has become very volatile, and that’s just across the board,” he said. “I think not just our protectees but local officials — the threat picture and environment is as large as I’ve ever seen it.”
A senior Secret Service official, speaking on condition of anonymity before the briefing, said the agency has opened about 10,000 investigations involving threats against government officials so far in 2026, according to CNBC.
The cases include threats directed at Supreme Court justices and other public officials. The official said the total represents a 40 percent increase compared with the same period last year.
The Secret Service is responsible for protecting the president, vice president, their families, former presidents and other designated officials. The agency also investigates threats against protected officials and other government leaders.
The comments come amid heightened concerns about political violence following several high-profile attacks and assassination attempts targeting public officials in recent years.
Last week, Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett told a House appropriations subcommittee that the threat level facing members of the federal judiciary “is really high.”
Federal officials have repeatedly warned that political polarization and online extremism have contributed to an increase in threats against public officials, requiring closer coordination among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.
Secret Service officials declined to provide additional details about the threats or identify which officials have been targeted most frequently. They also did not say how many of the approximately 10,000 investigations have resulted in arrests or criminal charges.