Underage drinking, disregarding "strong suggestions" from the U.S. Embassy, regular appearances in Vogue fashion spreads — the Bush twins made more than their fair share of national headlines during their eight years in the White House. And it looks like they're not done.According to the New York Post, a new book by former Washington Post reporter Ronald Kessler details how Jenna and Barbara gave the Secret Service "fits" during Bush's presidency. From an excerpt in the Post:
"Jenna would purposely try to lose her protection by going through red lights or by jumping in her car without telling agents where she was going. As a result, in a total waste of manpower, the Secret Service kept her car under surveillance so agents could follow her."
And it wasn't just the twins who stirred up trouble for the Secret Service — Kessler also claims that Jenna's now-husband Henry Hager got so drunk at a 2005 party that agents had to take him to a Georgetown hospital.
But even months after their dad left office, the Secret Service is still on the twins' tails — and getting trouble for it. In March, Baltimore radio station WBAL and Investigativevoice.com reported that a Secret Service van was towed from in front of Jenna Bush Hager's home in South Baltimore for unpaid parking tickets. But why are the twins still under secret agent surveillance?
According to CBS, the adult children of former presidents lose Secret Service protection once dad leaves office. But The Reliable Source, a Washington Post blog, reported that before he left office, George W. Bush signed a presidential directive to "extend security protection for his twin daughters for an undisclosed period of time." (Former President Clinton did the same for Chelsea when he left office).
CBS also reports that by law, the Secret Service will provide protection for Bush for 10 years. U.S. News & World Report's Washington Whispers blog says that President Obama has quietly extended Secret Service protection for former Vice President Dick Cheney, perhaps because of "indications" of threats against him.
To be fair, time and age has mellowed the formerly troublesome twins; after college, Jenna taught at a Washington, D.C. charter school for a year and a half, leaving only for another teaching stint in Latin America. In 2007, she wrote a book about a single teen mother with HIV called "Ana's Story," later collaborating on a children's book with her mother. Last year, Jenna married longtime boyfriend Hager in a low-key wedding at her family's Texas ranch.
Twin Barbara, has maintained an even lower profile than her sister. Barbara currently lives in New York City, working for the non-profit public health group, Global Health Corps.
In January, the Bush twins gladly handed off the White House spotlight to the Obama girls, writing them a letter filled with advice and helpful hints, like "surround yourself with loyal friends" and "slide down the banister of the solarium."
— Lili Ladaga
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