On April 25, 2026, during the White House Correspondents' Dinner (WHCD) at the Washington Hilton, an armed man charged past a magnetometer checkpoint, shot a uniformed Secret Service Officer and was subsequently apprehended as he attempted to make his way to the ballroom where the President, Vice President and a host of other USSS Protectees and Cabinet Officials were seated.

On this episode of Outside the Secret Service, I'm joined by retired SAIC Tom Landry (Episode 008), retired DSAIC Todd Jenkins (Episode 001), and Former Special Agent, and current CNN Law Analyst, Jon Wackrow (Episode 018). Together, our goal is to help listeners gain a better understanding of the events of the WHCD, offer insight and perspective from Special Agents who have actually walked the space, evaluate the response, dispel misinformation and conspiracy theories, and highlight what worked and what will be reviewed.

Former Special Agent Jason Russell recounts his unconventional path to the Secret Service beginning with a remarkably unremarkable high school tenure. When he took his first criminal justice course in college, his life's purpose came into focus. Passionate about service and law enforcement, Jason bookended his time with the US Secret Service with a local department and another federal agency. Each uniquely preparing him for that moment when preparation met inspiration.

Jason shares how the tragic murders at Sandy Hook moved him to consider how he might prevent future such tragedies. Jason left government service and founded Secure Environment Consultants helping schools, childcare centers, and numerous other organizations with security assessments, emergency planning, and training—applying Secret Service methods and principles of resourcefulness and preparedness to protect our most vulnerable communities.

You can learn more about Secure Environment Consultants here: https://secprotects.com/

Today we site down with Retired Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Mark Youngblood, to re-trace his 23-year Secret Service Career.

Mark is a natural storyteller and this episode features vivid anecdotes - from getaway trips during training, Rwandan goodwill moments, airspace operations and the Bitcoin/Silk Road investigation fallout - as well as reflections on timing, teamwork, leadership, and the challenges that lead to retirement.

Mark also discusses his transition to the private sectore with American Global Strategies and the lasting lessons he took from life in the US Secret Service.

Former Special Agent Tate Jarrow joins the podcast to share his journey from West Point to wiretaps. We talk about his path through combat deployments to the U.S. Secret Service, where he tackled major cyber investigations like the Liberty Reserve takedown and JPMorgan intrusion, served on the Counter Assault Team, and later transitioned to tech and startups focused on online safety.

This episode dives into polygraph myths, training realities, wild protection logistics (including a multi-boat extraction from the lawless tribal region of Nantucket), life-saving moments, and why personal privacy and consumer protection matter more than ever.

Tate is a natural and a cutting-edge leader in online safety and personal privacy. You can find his worthwhile offerings here:

https://onlinesafety.substack.com/

and here:

https://trustrebound.com/

They tell you not to start a show with a "show stopper", so I saved this for Episode 2 of Season 2.

Barry Spodak is a mostly-retired clinical specialist, senior consultant and trainer, whose simulation-based training and collaboration with researchers shaped behavioral threat assessment and protective intelligence for the U.S. Secret Service.

The episode traces Spodak’s 40-year impact on generations of agents and officers: teaching them to interview people with mental illness, recognizing the ‘‘path to violence,’’ using realistic role-play simulations, and focusing on threat assessment and management to prevent targeted violence.

Here is a link to the US Secret Service's Exceptional Case Study Project that started it all: https://nij.ojp.gov/library/publications/preventing-assassination-secret-service-exceptional-case-study-project

Today we welcome Brian Lewis to the Outside the Secret Service Podcast. Brian is a Navy veteran and now retired Roseville, CA Police Lieutenant. On this episode we cover his fast-paced two years in the Secret Service which included a stint on a campaign advance team, and protecting a high-level foreign dignitary (Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai); and the ping-pong match that may have saved US-Afghan relations.

While Brian's story is uniquely his, the pace of his career and the decision to leave represent an all-to-familiar pattern in the ranks of the Secret Service. His story is equal parts impressive, inspiring and instructive.

On this Season 1 finale of OTSS, we sit down with Retired ATSAIC of the US Secret Service, Sean Quarmby. We cover his 25-year career that started in New York, saw time in Washington DC, then finishing in Charlotte (which is definitely in one of the Carolinas). Sean shares great stories and unique insights of what it's like to work inside the White Houses access control section (housed in Room 23), protective details, and memorable moments like running with a President who was all gas and no break.

As fascinating as his career with the USSS was, his life retirement life remains one of service and daring feats. In addition to teaching the next generation of law enforcement professionals at a local community college, Sean has found time to write an award-winning novel, 'Room 23: A Secret Service Agent's Story of Espionage and Intrigue' which readers say is "an easy read that's intellectually stimulating and action packed". You can find the link to purchase the book here: https://a.co/d/9NxlJIO . It will definitely arrive in time for Christmas!

Retired Assistant Special Agent in Charge Charlie White recounts his 27-year Secret Service career spanning San Francisco Field Office fraud squads, Counter Assault Team work, Presidential Protective Division, and long-term overseas liaison posts in Bonn, Germany and Moscow, Russia.

Charlie's career offers a unique insight into how cultural differences can shape security operations abroad. He reflects on leadership, integrity, and relationship-building as the key lessons he took into the private sector after retirement.