Secret Service Director Sean Curran Says Threat Environment Is "Like We've Never Seen Before"

The director of the U.S. Secret Service is warning that the danger facing the people his agency protects has no precedent.

Secret Service Director Sean Curran described the current threat environment as "like we've never seen before." The line comes from a preview of his sit-down with CBS News anchor Norah O'Donnell.

The interview

O'Donnell spoke with Curran and Deputy Director Matthew Quinn. The full interview is scheduled to air Sunday, Oct. 11, on 60 Minutes.

The preview released ahead of the broadcast, dated today, Oct. 9, centers on the director's assessment of the threat picture. It does not lay out the specific threats behind it.

What the warning covers

Curran's statement is a sweeping one. It is a claim about the entire environment, not a single incident, plot or protectee.

The Secret Service has two jobs: protecting national leaders and investigating financial crimes. A director calling conditions unprecedented is a notable thing for the head of that agency to say publicly. It also invites obvious questions. Which threats does he mean? Are they domestic, foreign, technological, or all three? And what is the agency asking for to deal with them?

Those answers are expected in the full interview. Until it airs, the quote stands as the director's own characterization, with no numbers, incidents or comparisons attached in the preview.

What to watch Sunday

The presence of Quinn alongside Curran suggests the interview will cover the agency's leadership and operations as well as its warnings. The preview does not say what Quinn will address.

The concrete test comes Sunday. If Curran backs his language with specifics, such as threat counts, resource requests or operational changes, the warning becomes something Congress and the public can measure. If he doesn't, "like we've never seen before" remains a headline without evidence behind it.

The interview airs Sunday, Oct. 11, on 60 Minutes.