Just browsing, I came across this interview with an agent who served under Bush:
“So what’s it like to be up close and personal with the most influential and sought after men and women in the world? Do they whisper secrets to their protectors or share stories? Do they simply ignore the agents? And are the agents in constant awe of whom they’re protecting?
“It’s like a doctor/lawyer-client, professional relationship,” Brown said. “It’s not a personal relationship. It’s a professional relationship and you get to know their boundaries.”
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But here, a woman agent who served under several presidents, makes it sound a bit cozier:
“I often rode horses with President Reagan, both at Camp David and at his Rancho del Cielo, north of Santa Barbara, California. These rides provided a unique opportunity to interact one on one with the President, and engage in long conversations while riding side by side….When I was first assigned to President Reagan’s protective detail, I was one of only two women. He conducted himself on a first name basis with us, whereas with the men, he did not know all their individual names. Furthermore, because I rode horses with the President, I developed a close personal relationship with him.”
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And this agent-turned novelist says it sometimes goes way beyond that:
“Though it’s possible to protect someone for months without having any social intercourse other than brief conversations about departure times and where staff and guests would ride in the limousine, sometimes a much closer relationship develops. I know of politicians who came to trust their Secret Service agents more than their highest-ranking staff members. And, like the fictional Agent Garrison, Secret Service agents have occasionally been known to get involved with women they have been assigned to protect. In one instance I have personal knowledge of, the wife of a famous world leader fell head over heels in love with her Secret Service bodyguard. When their affair became known, the Secret Service Director relieved the agent of his duties and hushed up the scandal. And there has been more than once romance between a Secret Service agent and a female member of the First Family.”