But Secret Service records do not show that. In a statement, the Secret Service said that its spending “balances operational security with judicious allocation of resources.” By law, Secret Service agents are exempt from the government’s usual per diem spending limits while they are protecting the president. The Secret Service did not respond to a question about why the purchases weren’t listed in public databases. The Post could find only one other recent example of a president or vice president charging his own Secret Service rent. “The operational needs of the Secret Service can differ from those in the Department of State,” a Secret Service spokeswoman said, to explain why their rooms had cost more than the State Department’s.

Source: Washington Post February 07, 2020 13:04 UTC