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The Secret Service says anyone who will be in secure zones will go through such checks. Secret Service takes on new credentialing role for conventions

A new media credentialing process in place for the Republican and Democratic conventions this summer has some journalists sounding the alarm.

For the first time this year, the Secret Service has a hand in credentialing the media; during previous conventions only the Congressional press galleries were in charge of credentialing the media. Members of the media began hearing more about the Secret Services' role in the credentialing process as they began to attend walk-throughs at the convention sites in Philadelphia and Cleveland, leading BuzzFeed Washington Bureau Chief John Stanton to issue a strongly worded letter to fellow journalists, urging them to speak up about the new processes. In his letter Stanton cited concerns about the background checks, the lack of a clear appeals process, and the involvement of a third-party subcontractor, urging his fellow journalists to express their concern over the process.

“It seems like an unnecessary step and it gives them in my mind a new and troubling precedence to try and exert authority over the press corps,” Stanton said in an interview. “It creates a logistical burden, a troubling precedent for their ability to have almost a de facto say in who is qualified to be a reporter at these events. What if they use this as precedent to extend to other campaign events or any government events?"

The expanded role for the Secret Service stems from a 2013 presidential directive — Presidential Decision Directive 22 — that gives the Secret Service the task of “access control,” a senior law enforcement official explained to POLITICO. Access control includes background checks on anyone at the event who may need access to secure areas, from vendors to press, to law enforcement and party officials.

In an hour-long meeting with POLITICO at their headquarters, the Secret Service explained the process, emphasizing that it's not just for the press covering the conventions — anyone who will be in secure zones will go through such checks. They say it’s the same process a member of the media or public would go through to enter the White House or the recent Nuclear Summit. All press will be checked by Secret Service in order to allow them access to secure areas, they said. That way, the service explained, if a reporter is invited at the last minute to interview a candidate backstage, for example, no further security check is needed.

The DNC and RNC will still issue ‘zoned’ credentials, similar to what reporters have received at debates, which will allow them access to certain areas. But even if a reporter is only going to be in the press filing center at the Republican convention, they will still be cleared through a name check, the Secret Service said. At the Republican convention the filing center is nearly one mile away from the convention site, so reporters will go through the security check and take a special shuttle service to the site, skipping the security check at the convention site. At the Democratic convention, the press filing center is on site, so reporters could still technically be at the press filing center without the extra secret service check.

“They’re making our areas de facto national security area. That makes no sense to me personally,” Stanton said. “Secret Service telling us we’re just going to have to live with it and I don’t think we should go quietly on it."

The Secret Service were also adamant that they are only checking names and have no approval or say on overall credentials to the event, which is being determined by the congressional press galleries and the DNC and RNC. Even if Secret Service denied a secure zone credential for a reporter, the reporter could still attend the event if the galleries and DNC or RNC let them, but that reporter would be restricted to the same areas as other regularly ticketed attendees. That means they would not be able to enter the filing center.

In his letter, Stanton expressed concern that reporters who had been arrested while covering news events might be flagged in a background check and be denied a secure credential. But the Secret Service told POLITICO that such an arrest would not warrant a denial. Instead, they said they were looking for such things as aggravated assault or domestic violence charges — even multiple DUIs wouldn’t necessarily warrant a denial, they said.

The Secret Service said in the rare chance they noticed something in someone’s background check that warranted a phone call to the committees, it would ultimately be up to the press galleries and the RNC and DNC to decide whether that person was granted any sort of press access. The Secret Service determines only access to the secure areas, though they said there is no appeals process to anyone excluded from a secure zone credential.

Representatives for two of the congressional press galleries said they were both confident that the process will work out well while also expressing some apprehension about the Secret Service’s new role.

“There’s two schools of thoughts on this. One is it will be burdensome on reporters and is it really necessary. The other school of thought, is get this done. It is better safe than sorry and let’s be secure,” said Jeff Kent, director of the Senate Press Photographers’ gallery.

Rob Zatkowski, director of the House Periodical Press Gallery, said they didn't have much power in the matter.

“It looks like we’re going to be doing this regardless of people’s bad feelings about it. I’m still a little leery on why we’re doing this,” said Zatkowski. "It’s a Secret Service thing so we have to do it. Hopefully next time around we won’t have to do it because they’ll see it didn’t help in any way shape or form."

The Secret Service acknowledged that all the parties involved needed to work on better communication to clear up confusion about the process. Stanton also expressed concern about the role of a third-party subcontractor who will help the Secret Service in the credentialing process.

“I do not want the members of my bureau at the mercy of a private contractor unaccountable to anyone and who may be open to political pressure from a campaign,” Stanton wrote.

The Secret Service said the subcontractor is only gathering data and helping to physically make the credentials, and that they will have no power over who does and does not get credentials. The Secret Service also said personal information does not stay on their, or the subcontractors servers and is deleted following processing.

Kirsten Kukowski, the Republican National Convention's communications director said they are following the lead of the Secret Service. The communications director for the Democratic convention declined to comment. The DNC did not respond to requests for comment.

Clarification: This post has been updated to clarify that at the Democratic convention, reporters could still be at the filing center without the extra Secret Service check.