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Zero Fail by Carol Leonnig

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Zero Fail

The Rise and Fall of the Secret Service

Carol Leonnig

Random House Publishing Group · Print & ebook · June 7, 2022

Reading lane: The Presidency & Executive

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The first definitive account of the rise and fall of the Secret Service, from the Kennedy assassination to the alarming lapses of the Obama and Trump years—from Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Carol Leonnig “This book is a wake-up call, and a valuable study of a critically important agency.”— The New York Times A WASHINGTON POST BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR Carol Leonnig reported on the Secret Service for nearly a decade, bringing to light the secrets, scandals, and shortcomings that plague the agency today—from a toxic workplace culture to dangerously outdated equipment to the deep resentment within the ranks at key agency leaders, who put protecting the agency’s once-hallowed image before fixing its flaws.

At a Glance

Why This Clicks

Inside the Guard

A brisk look at institutional rise, strain, and collapse, told with newsroom gravity.

Come here for

  • The Secret Service under a clear, unsentimental lens
  • A clipped, reportorial read you can pick up and put down

Expect

  • Presidential protection as public institution, not lore
  • A steady, page-turning account with sharp edges

Book Details

Authors
Carol Leonnig
Publisher
Random House Publishing Group
Published
June 7, 2022
Format
Print & ebook
Theme
The Presidency & Executive · 21st-Century America
Reading lane
The Presidency & Executive

Affinity

Publisher Categories

  • 20th-Century America

  • Policing & Law Enforcement

  • The Presidency & Executive

About This Book

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The first definitive account of the rise and fall of the Secret Service, from the Kennedy assassination to the alarming lapses of the Obama and Trump years—from Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Carol Leonnig “This book is a wake-up call, and a valuable study of a critically important agency.”— The New York Times A WASHINGTON POST BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR Carol Leonnig reported on the Secret Service for nearly a decade, bringing to light the secrets,...

Read full description

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The first definitive account of the rise and fall of the Secret Service, from the Kennedy assassination to the alarming lapses of the Obama and Trump years—from Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Carol Leonnig “This book is a wake-up call, and a valuable study of a critically important agency.”— The New York Times A WASHINGTON POST BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR Carol Leonnig reported on the Secret Service for nearly a decade, bringing to light the secrets, scandals, and shortcomings that plague the agency today—from a toxic workplace culture to dangerously outdated equipment to the deep resentment within the ranks at key agency leaders, who put protecting the agency’s once-hallowed image before fixing its flaws. The Secret Service was born in 1865, in the wake of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, but its story begins in earnest in 1963, with the death of John F. Kennedy. Shocked into reform by its failure to protect the president on that fateful day in Dallas, this once-sleepy agency was radically transformed into an elite, highly trained unit that would redeem itself several times, most famously in 1981 by thwarting an assassination attempt against Ronald Reagan. But by Barack Obama’s presidency, the once-proud Secret Service was running on fumes and beset by mismanagement and mistakes in judgement: break-ins at the White House, an armed gunman firing into the windows of the residence while confused agents stood by, and a massive prostitution scandal among agents in Cartagena, to name just a few. With Donald Trump’s arrival, a series of promised reforms were cast aside, as a president disdainful of public service instead abused the Secret Service to rack up political and personal gains. To explore these problems in the ranks, Leonnig interviewed dozens of current and former agents, government officials, and whistleblowers who put their jobs on the line to speak out about a hobbled agency that is in desperate need of reform.

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