Kamala Harris’ Secret Service Found a Hotel Employee With Loaded Gun During Her Stay

Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, faced a chilling security breach during their stay at San Francisco’s Fairmont Hotel when an employee was caught with a loaded firearm on the premises. The incident occurred early Tuesday morning and has since drawn national attention, highlighting persistent threats against public officials in a politically charged climate. The U.S. Secret Service apprehended the hotel employee around 7 a.m. after a magnetometer attended the weapon. San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) officers took the firearm, and the man was charged with carrying a concealed firearm in public.

A subsequent background check revealed the man had an arrest warrant in Tarrant County, Texas. Authorities did not reveal the details of the Texas warrant or the employees’s identity, but it is legal to carry a concealed weapon in the Lone Star state. Although SFPD highlighted the man posed no credible threat to Harris or Emhoff, the situation has posed concerns about potential lapses in vetting processes for staff at high-profile venues. Harris and Emhoff, fresh from a vacation in Hawaii, checked out of the hotel on Tuesday afternoon without incident and returned to Washington, D.C., as reported by Newsweek.

The alarming episode came against the backdrop of escalating threats against Vice President Harris and other political figures; just weeks earlier, a major alert was issued during a Donald Trump rally in California, where firearms were found in a vehicle near the event. More disturbingly, a separate case in Arizona revealed the dangerous lengths to which individuals are ready to go. Jeffrey Michael Kelly, a 60-year-old aerospace engineer, was arrested after allegedly targeting a Democratic National Committee (DNC) office shared by staff from Harris’ campaign.

As per NBC News, Kelly reportedly fired shots at the building on three separate occasions and left suspicious white powder-filled bags lined with razor blades on political signs in the area. Upon his arrest, police discovered over 120 firearms, 250,000 rounds of ammunition, and body armor in his home. Deputy Maricopa County Attorney Neha Bhatia claimed, "The state and law enforcement believes that this person was preparing to commit an act of mass casualty with the guns he had." Moreover, Attorney Rachel Mitchell revealed, “Without going into further detail into what we found, obviously, that type of — those numbers of guns, as well as those numbers of rounds are certainly a factor that you would consider.”

Sean McEnerney, the coordinated campaign manager for the Arizona Democratic Party, released a statement, “We are grateful for the work of the Tempe Police Department and will continue to cooperate with investigators.” These incidents highlight the rising tide of political violence and intimidation in the United States. Law enforcement agencies are grappling with increasing threats, fueled by deepening political divides and the accessibility of firearms. Arizona, a key battleground state in the elections, witnessed a surge in politically motivated attacks.