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The First Family Detail: Secret Service Agents Reveal the Hidden Lives of the Presidents Paperback – July 28, 2015

by Ronald Kessler (Author)

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As in a play, presidents, vice presidents, and presidential candidates perform on stage for the public and the media. What the nation’s leaders are really like and what goes on behind the scenes remains hidden. Secret Service agents have a front row seat on their private lives and those of their wives and children.

Crammed with new, headline-making revelations, THE FIRST FAMILY DETAIL: Secret Service Agents Reveal the Hidden Lives of the Presidents by Ronald Kessler tells that eye-opening, uncensored story.

Since publication of his New York Times bestselling book In the President’s Secret Service, award-winning investigative reporter Ronald Kessler has continued to penetrate the wall of secrecy that surrounds the U.S. Secret Service, breaking the story that Secret Service agents who were to protect President Obama hired prostitutes in Cartagena, Colombia and revealing that the Secret Service allowed a third uninvited guest to crash a White House state dinner.

Now Kessler presents far bigger and more consequential stories about our nation’s leaders and the agency sworn to protect them. Kessler widens his scope to include presidential candidates, former presidents after they leave the White House, and the presidents’ relationships to their first ladies and children.

From observing Vice President Joe Biden’s reckless behavior that jeopardizes the country’s safety, to escorting Bill Clinton’s mistress at Chappaqua, to overhearing First Lady Michelle Obama’s admonitions to the president, to witnessing President Nixon’s friends bring him a nude stripper, to seeing their own agency take risks that could result in an assassination, Secret Service agents know a secret world that Ronald Kessler exposes in breathtaking detail.

THE FIRST FAMILY DETAIL reveals:

·       Vice President Joe Biden regularly orders the Secret Service to keep his military aide with the nuclear football a mile behind his motorcade, potentially leaving the country unable to retaliate in the event of a nuclear attack.

·       Secret Service agents discovered that former president Bill Clinton has a blond mistress. Within minutes of Hillary Clinton’s leaving, the woman—codenamed Energizer by agents—shows up to be with Bill every day while the likely future presidential candidate is away.

·       The Secret Service covered up the fact that President Ronald Reagan’s White House staff overruled the Secret Service to let unscreened spectators get close to Reagan as he left the Washington Hilton, allowing him to be shot by John W. Hinckley Jr.

·       Secret Service agents have been dismayed to overhear Michelle Obama push her husband to be more aggressive in attacking Republicans and to side with blacks in racial controversies.

·       Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan diverted agents from protecting President Obama and his family at the White House and ordered them instead to protect his assistant at her home and illegally retrieve confidential records as a favor to her.

·       Because Hillary Clinton is so nasty to agents, being assigned to her protective detail is considered a form of punishment and the worst assignment in the Secret Service.

·       Secret Service agents were ordered to ignore security rules and allow the SUV carrying actor Bradley Cooper to drive unscreened into a secure restricted area when President Obama was about to deliver his speech at the White House Correspondents Dinner.

·       Vice President Joe Biden spends millions of taxpayer dollars flying to and from his home in Delaware on Air Force Two. His office tried to cover up the costs of the personal trips.

·       Because the Secret Service refused to provide enough magnetometers at his campaign events, Mitt Romney regularly left himself open to assassination by giving speeches to unscreened crowds.

·       Vice President Joe Biden swims nude at the vice president’s residence in Washington and at his home in Delaware, offending female agents.

The First Family Detail: Secret Service Agents Reveal the Hidden Lives of the Presidents

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ronald Kessler is the New York Times bestselling author of The Secrets of the FBI, In the President's Secret Service, and The CIA at War. A former Wall Street Journal and Washington Post investigative reporter, Kessler has won eighteen journalism awards, including two George Polk awards, one for national reporting and one for community service. He was named a Washingtonian of the Year by Washingtonian magazine. Kessler lives in Potomac, Maryland with his wife, Pamela Kessler.

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Product Details

Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Crown Forum; Reprint edition (July 28, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 080413961X
ISBN-13: 978-0804139618
Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.7 x 8 inches
Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1,089 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #20,191 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #37 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > International & World Politics > Security
- #52 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > Specific Topics > Intelligence & Espionage
- #70 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > United States > Executive Branch

Customer Reviews

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2 star		8%
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Top Customer Reviews

A Danger to Our Country and Leaders

ByMichaelon August 2, 2015

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

The author writes an interesting and thoughtful book about a part of government that many people are not very familiar with: the Secret Service. He describes the vast and impressive array of procedures employed in protecting presidents ,current and previous, vice presidents, and their families, as well as cabinet secretaries and political leaders in the line of succession to become president in case of a severe emergency. During a presidential election the leading candidates are also protected.

To accomplish their mission Secret Service agents must work in close proximity to all their protectees, becoming a part of their lives on a daily basis. This gives the agents a clear window through which to observe their personalities and character. Revelations from some of the agents indicate that what transpires in their clients' private lives may not comport with the image that they desire to show to the public.

As examples, the book describes how a number of protectees were especially "nasty" to the agents and their own staffs: Bill and Hillary Clinton, Nancy Reagan, Jimmy Carter and Al Gore.
Especially friendly and respectful to agents were Ronald Reagan, Bush 41 and 43 and their wives, Dick and Lynne Cheney and Mitt and Ann Romney. The sexual proclivities of LBJ, Bill Clinton (both inside and outside of the Oval Office) and Gary Hart are portrayed as important character issues. Some revelations are surprising, such as the preference of Joe Biden to swim naked in his home pool while being closely guarded by female agents. Many other observations of family members are also related, Including some of their drinking habits. Tension with the children of protected families seems to be prevalent in many cases.

Another focus of the book is an analysis of the management of the Secret Service. The author describes and details the incompetence and corruption of senior management that has resulted in poorly trained agents with very low morale, lack of leading-edge technology and weaponry to discover and eliminate threats, and in some cases a demonstrable lack of concern about national security. Prior lapses in standard procedures have resulted in the assassination attempts on presidents Reagan and Ford, and have put more current presidents in grave danger. After a number of recent scandals involving penetration of the White House grounds by dangerous perpetrators, the author ridicules president Obama's decision not to bring in a new director from the outside to replace the one who was fired, as he believes that as a result there will not be any change in the dysfunctional culture at the top.

11 comment 64 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Not Political Leaning

ByTesty Timon August 10, 2014

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Since others have prominently noted that this book is very similar to one of Kessler's earlier works, I will say this is my first exposure.

Content:
Although I lean conservative, I am neither a Democrat nor a Republican. I was eager to read this book because it interests me how the 'anointed' really live their lives. Opposite my expectation, I did not get the impression that this book's sole purpose was to bash one political party or the other. For example, the Obamas are generally portrayed in a favorable light, but not all good. The same is true of the Bush family. I do believe the author reported accurately what the Secret Service agents revealed to him. It seems that the book has two purposes. First, to expose the true character of our elected officials. And second, to expose how the Secret Service management makes bad decisions which ultimately puts protectee lives in danger. Not that it was wrong, or bad, but one thing that did not grab my interest were the parts that delved into the inner workings of the Secret Service.

Style:
This is mostly an easy read. However, in a couple of places in the book the author follows a couple of rabbit trails and then abruptly snaps back to the original subject. I found that to be hard to follow and a bit frustrating, which is why I took one of the stars away.

Overall, I enjoyed the book, and learned a few things. What more could you ask for? I will be recommending this book to my friends.

44 comments 174 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

I'm glad I read it.

ByR. Hoganon April 18, 2015

Verified Purchase

It was an interesting book. Shattered my illusions about the quality the secret service. Interesting observations about presidents and their family members. If you are a Bill & Hilary fan you will not like this book.

0Comment 28 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

THE CHAPTER ON HILLARY IS WORTH THE PRICE OF THE BOOK

ByJohn M. Laneon August 5, 2015

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

This is a review of THE FIRST FAMILY DETAIL: SECRET SERVICE AGENTS REVEAL THE HIDDEN LIVES OF THE PRESIDENTS by Ronald Kessler, a former award winning investigative journalist who wrote for the WALL STREET JOURNAL and the WASHINGTON POST. Mine is the hardcover edition published in 2013 by the Crown Forum subdivision of Random House in New York. The book is attractively bound and has 246 pages of text in addition to a six page "Secret Service Chronology", "Acknowledgments" and a useful index making for a total of 258 pages. The book is well illustrated by a series of color photographs.

Kessler's style of writing is clear and easy to read as befits a prominent journalist and he's also done his homework. Unlike most journalists, Kessler even understands enough about firearms to coherently reconstruct John Hinckley's attempt to assassinate President Ronald Reagan with a cheap, imported .22 caliber revolver, Rohm RG-14 on pages 117-118.

Hinckley fired six shots in 1.48 seconds and hit five people including Reagan who nearly succumbed to the wound. He was able to do this, Kessler notes, because he was allowed to get close to the Presidential party. Kessler describes the on-going sturm und drang between the Secret Service and each president's pollitical handlers. The Secret Service want distance and the politicians want their man in close proximity to prospective voters.

Kessler also includes a great chapter on Hillary Clinton and how her rude, arrogant, ego-centric conduct led Secret Service agents to regard assignment to her protective detail to be a diabolical form of punishment. That chapter alone is worth the price of the book.

I liked Kessler's book and gave it five stars. If you're interested in presidential politics, executive security, or contemporary history, you'll enjoy THE FIRST FAMILY.

22 comments 16 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Most Recent Customer Reviews

Conservative hit job

This is clearly a conservative hit job. It would have come across as more credible if it hadn't been so blatant in its attempt to smear the democrats.Read more

Published 3 days ago by C McGhee

Everyone should read this!

Excellent writing and a real eye-opener! Too bad this type of information is not available before elections.Read more

Published 5 days ago by Desert Dogs2

So interesting.. a must read... ...

So interesting.. a must read... Kessler tells secrets of the lives of many First Family's and the attitudes of these people...I could not put the book down

Published 5 days ago by I Love Dogs

A Good Read About Some Entitled People With Questionable Ethics Behaving Very Badly

Good read.

Published 7 days ago by Amazon Customer

Exposes the inside of the president's & first ladies. ...

Exposes the inside of the president's & first ladies. Really exposes what a real B_ _ _CH Hillary was to be around & how she looked down on people.

Published 9 days ago by Joe T. Getherall

Five Stars

Just - wow! Read this!

Published 10 days ago by wlg

Book order

Great service. Exactly what was described. I'm 10O% satisfied!

Published 13 days ago by Patty

Why doesn't the media hire people like Kessler

Accounts this informative are never seen in the media.

Published 13 days ago by William R Tappan

Interesting, what some of the allegations seem too unbelievable ...

Interesting, what some of the allegations seem too unbelievable.

Published 14 days ago by Colleen G. Jarvis

VERY GOOD BOOK.

The author does a really good job of showing the details of the difficulty of protecting the President and his family. His take on past Presidents is of particular interest.Read more

Published 16 days ago by Sheila Wiseman Evans

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