US Marshals Service has manpower shortage as it faces rising threats against judges, report says
CNN
The US Marshals Service, the agency tasked with protecting federal judges and finding fugitives, is facing major staffing and operational challenges that could hinder its ability to identify and stop threats, according to a new report from the agency's watchdog, an alarming analysis following the intelligence breakdowns preceding the January 6 riot and the recent murder of a judge's son.
"We found that the USMS does not have the resources or proactive threat detection capabilities that the USMS has determined it needs to meet its protective service obligations for USMS-protected persons, including judges," the Justice Department inspector general said in the report released Wednesday. The US Marshals Service protects roughly 2,700 judges nationwide, and notes threats or inappropriate contacts have spiked in recent years. The inspector general report points out the agency responded to more than 4,200 threats in 2020, up 81% from 2016.Senate Democrats have confirmed some of President Joe Biden’s picks for the federal bench this week in the face of President-elect Donald Trump’s calls for a total GOP blockade of judicial nominations – in part because several Republicans involved with the Trump transition process have been missing votes.
Donald Trump is considering a right-wing media personality and people who have served on his US Secret Service detail to run the agency that has been plagued by its failure to preempt two alleged assassination attempts on Trump this summer, sources familiar with the president-elect’s thinking tell CNN.