Zero Fail: The Rise and Fall of the Secret Service

In Zero Fail, Carol Leonnig traces the Secret Service from the Kennedy assassination to the 2021 Capitol riot. Through hundreds of interviews with agents and whistleblowers, she documents a transition from an elite protection unit to an agency crippled by underfunding, political pressure, and systemic misconduct. The narrative highlights specific security lapses, including the 2014 White House fence jumping incident and the detail’s struggles to manage the massive security demands of the Trump family. Leonnig argues that a culture of heavy drinking and covering up mistakes has compromised the "zero fail" mission.

This history suits readers of investigative journalism and executive branch politics. It provides an inside look at the logistical friction between presidential families and their security details. Readers gain a technical understanding of how thin the line is between safety and catastrophe at the highest levels of government. The book serves as a diagnostic report on institutional rot, showing how equipment failures and staffing shortages lead to security gaps. Those interested in national security will find a blunt assessment of how bureaucratic inertia threatens the physical safety of the presidency.