Dan Bongino - Life Inside the Bubble: Why a Top-Ranked Secret Service Agent Walked Away from It All

Dan Bongino walked away because he is an American patriot and the embodiment of the highest standards of honor, integrity, and character exactly what we need inside the bubble.

Allen B. West, Lieutenant Colonel (US Army, Ret.), Member of 112th Congress

For Dan Bongino to leave the Secret Service to fight the permanent political class could not have been easy, but his bravery is easily one of the reasons why Americans are learning more about how the D.C. Bubble grows but never pops.

Matthew Boyle, Investigative Journalist, Breitbart News

Real American heroes dont come out of Hollywood or the NFL; they come in the form of courageous Americans who do the Right Thing solely because it is a matter of conscience for them. Dan Bongino is one of those who stood boldly for truth out of a sense of patriotism even when he knew that he would pay a price; and he did. This book tells his story and is an inspiration for the readers.

Lt. Gen. Jerry Boykin, former U.S. Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence

LIFE INSIDE THE BUBBLE

DAN BONGINO

WHY A TOP-RANKED SECRET SERVICE AGENT WALKED AWAY FROM IT ALL

LIFE INSIDE THE BUBBLE

WND Books, Inc.
Washington, D.C.

Copyright 2013
Dan Bongino

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopying, scanning, or otherwisewithout permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.

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First Edition

Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-938067-36-5
eBook ISBN: 978-1-938067-37-2

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Printed in the United States of America
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This book is dedicated to my wife Paula and my daughters Isabel and Amelia. It is the unconditional love they have shown me that fuels my fire and their safety net of support that has allowed me to leap.

AFTER SERVING ALMOST THREE DECADES with the Central Intelligence Agency in some of the most unique and dangerous capacities of clandestine and covert operations, my life often depended upon what the author of this book correctly describes as strength and character. I have discovered through personal experience and by witnessing terrorist threats worldwide that character and training are keys to the success not only of civilian intelligence agencies like the CIA but to personal security details of all branches of government. And the elite of the personal security world is, without a doubt, the Presidential Protective Division of the United States Secret Service.

Dan Bongino served with the PPD for five years, and in Life Inside the Bubble, he gives the readers a very personal insight and understanding of the strength, courage, and conviction it takes to be the best of the best in the US Secret Service. The discipline to become a member, whether serving on the presidential detail or with the Uniformed Division, is not for the cerebrally weak or those with a flawed character. It is a very special individual who can perform the demanding tasks required, one who is physically and mentally disciplined, ethical, adaptive, and flexible. The character strengths of those working for the Secret Service should be the blueprint for other federal agencies.

Like many who reside in the state of Maryland, I became aware of Dan when he was a new political force within the local Republican Party, establishing himself as a future conservative star just before his incredible run for office in 2012. As I listened to his strong approach on drug policy reform, criminal justice reform, and fiscal policy, I immediately wanted to understand just who this man was and where he came from. Life Inside the Bubble delivers on that countand many more.

The events Dan refers to in this book are true, from his childhood years attempting to understand lifes unpredictable and sometimes violent path to protecting the most powerful men and women in the world. It is impossible to read this book and not come away with a feeling of elation, knowing that only in America can you grow up in a humble, uncertain environment, only to one day find yourself as one of the faces of hope for Americas future.

Wayne Simmons CIA (ret.)
July 2013

THERE WAS A RECRUITING POSTER in the Secret Service headquarters during my time there that showed a number of steely-eyed agents surrounding the presidential limo as it drove down Pennsylvania Avenue. Above the picture the tagline read, Some grow up wanting to be the president and some grow up wanting to protect the president. It was a clever line, playing on every young boys desire to be the cop in a game of cops and robbers. The Secret Service is populated with dedicated men and women, largely attracted to the job because of the purity of the mission: keep the president safe. Agents agree to sacrifice themselves for the safety of the president regardless of his politics or his demeanor. The job requires incredibly long hours, at times in extreme conditions, and a commitment to live your life shadowing someone else while asking your family to understand the extreme sacrifice you may have to make and to temporarily live without you while you travel with the president.

The incredible weight of responsibility that accompanies every Secret Service agent, and specifically those in the Presidential Protective Division, has a tendency to distract agents from the outside world. Politicswhether those of the president you protect, or your feelings about the economy or foreign affairstake a backseat to the daily rigors of the job. This distraction serves a purpose, as it keeps the agents personal feelings about those they protect relatively ambivalent. Although I am certain that the strong character and unwavering dedication of the agents I worked with during my time with the Secret Service would never allow them to inject their personal or political beliefs into their job performance, it never hurts to believe in the man you are protecting. To believe in his leadership abilities and his policy prescriptions for a better tomorrow always serves as an added bonus.

After witnessing the endless political games across two presidential administrations while I served as a Secret Service agent, I knew I had to make a decision. It was unfair to the president and the Secret Service to become distracted, even for a moment. But it was becoming more and more difficult to accompany the president and listen to another speech whose content was contrary to the principles I believe make this country exceptional. The speeches ran contrary to everything in Americas history that makes us incomparable as a nation, and to the principles we need in our future to maintain our unique position as a beacon of liberty and prosperity. I gave the Secret Service everything I had to give, and although I was deeply disturbed by the tone and direction of President Obamas speeches, I did not want to send the wrong message by resigning while assigned to his security detail. Compounding the problem was the trust the Secret Service placed in me. I was the top-ranked agent on my operational shift and was consistently assigned to conduct the security advances for presidential visits with the greatest degree of difficulty. To leave abruptly was sure to create a stir that I desperately wanted to avoid.