Mitt Romney And Secret Service Parted Ways Directly After Concession Speech

Mitt Romney and his Secret Service detail went their separate ways almost immediately after the GOP presidential candidate had delivered his concession speech late Tuesday night.

As the Romney family bedded down for what was probably a restless night, GQ reports how:

“[A] quiet call went out on the radio channel used by his Secret Service agents: ‘Javelin, Jockey details, all posts, discontinue.’ “

In the space of mere hours, Mitt Romney had shed an entire entourage, one which had been guarding him since February 1.

The GOP contender had been driven in a 15-car motorcade to the Intercontinental Hotel in Boston for his concession speech, but the journey back across the Charles River to Belmont featured only one vehicle: his own. The driver was his son, Tagg.

There are no strict rules in place for such situations, writes GQ contributor Marc Ambinder:

“There is no formal guideline for the Secret Service agents in this situation; it’s up to the discretion of the detail leader, who usually consults with the local police to make sure that his protectee’s home won’t be overrun by protestors and supporters all of a sudden.”

Ambinder also describes how, in 2008, agents offered to escort John McCain back to his ranch in Sedona. McCain politely refused, and was photographed driving his own car to get groceries the very next day.

Although the Secret Service obviously remains neutral on political matters, Obama’s victory will have made the agency’s job a little easier in the coming years. Whereas the president has a small family of four, Romney’s children, their wives, and all of their children total 29. That’s a lot of people to guard with your life.