A former Secret Service agent for Michelle Obama revealed she was ‘outraged’ that she could ‘do nothing’ to protect her from racist comments because of the freedom of speech.
Evy Poumpouras, who received a U.S. Secret Service Medal of Valor for her heroism on 9/11, made her comments in an interview with Insider about her book Becoming Bulletproof – which was published in April 2020 by Simon and Schuster.
Poumpouras served 12 years with the agency, including on the presidential detail for Barack Obama and the First Lady. She has also protected former Presidents George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton.
The former agent wrote in her book that Michelle Obama, the first black First Lady, withstood disparagement ‘that none of her predecessors ever faced.’
‘I was on her protective detail when we were driving to a school to deliver a speech; we passed someone on a bridge holding up a shockingly racist sign directed at her,’ she wrote in her book.
‘I remember feeling outraged – after all, it was part of our job to protect the first family mentally as well as physically. But if the First Lady saw the sign, she gave no indication of it.’
Evy Poumpouras, left, said Michelle Obama, right, suffered racist comments which she could not protect her from
Barack and Michelle Obama walk with the the Reverend Al Sharpton and late Rep. John Lewis and other original marchers to mark the 50th Anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery civil rights marches in Selma, Alabama in 2015
Over the years, a number of incidents made international news after people and politicians made racist comments about the Obamas
Poumpouras made her comments while addressing revelations she made in her 2020 book Becoming Bulletproof
Poumpouras told Insider that the agency had no protocol to handle racism.
‘I could do nothing. There’s freedom of speech in the United States, and even if I personally feel that speech is wrong, the law doesn’t give me the power to take that person’s speech away,’ she said.
Poumpouras told the outlet that she could only intervene if the Obamas were believed to be in physical danger.
‘When it came to speech, they could call them names. They could say whatever they wanted so long as there was no imminent threat of harm,’ she said.
She added that the only relief for the Obamas came when event organizers were able to remove people who were ‘heckling’ them.
‘I could not step in and say, ‘Hey, don’t say that,’ but the staff could say, ‘We don’t accept that type of language here. This is our private property. Please leave’,’ she said.
She added: ‘Only then could someone do something, but as painful as it was, I had to abide by the law.’
Over the years, a number of incidents made international news after people and politicians made racist comments about the Obamas – most often referring to them as ‘monkeys,’ a slur against black people.
In 2016, a Denver hospital suspended a pediatric anesthesiologist who branded Michelle Obama ‘monkey face’ in a Facebook post, the Denver Post reported at the time.
Dr. Michelle Herren made her offending remarks to another post that had described her as eloquent.
‘Monkey face and poor ebonic English!!! There! I feel better and am still not racist!!! Just calling it like it is!’ the doctor wrote.
That same year, a Kentucky Republican candidate for the state House of Representatives refused to apologize for several Facebook posts depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as monkeys.
The GOP chairman for Kentucky had to issue an apology on his behalf and condemned the posts, the Associated Press reported.
The posts on Dan Johnson’s Facebook page included a picture of a chimpanzee with the caption ‘Obama’s baby picture’ and a photo that had been altered to give Barack Obama and his wife ape-like features.
Johnson’s page also displayed a photo of a young Ronald Reagan feeding a monkey with a bottle with the caption: ‘Rare photos of Ronald Reagan babysitting Barack Obama in early 1962.’
His page also included a post calling Islam a ‘criminal syndicate.’
Poumpouras made her comments while addressing revelations she made in her 2020 book Becoming Bulletproof
Patrick Rushing, the then-mayor of a small town in Washington called Airway Heights, resigned his post in 2015 after he admitted to calling Barack Obama ‘monkey man’ and Michelle Obama ‘gorilla face’ in posts made online.
‘Gorilla face Michelle, can’t disagree with that. The woman is not attractive except to monkey man Barack. Check out them ears. LOL,’ Rushing wrote, according to Huffington Post.
Pamela Ramsey Taylor, then the mayor of a town in West Virginia, received criticism after she responded to a post that called Michelle Obama an ‘ape in heels’ and said it ‘made my day,’ the BBC reported.
Michelle Obama has herself spoken about her experiences with racism, Insider noted.
Obama was asked about which ‘falling glass shards’ hurt the most while breaking the glass ceiling to become the first black First Lady during an event for the Women’s Foundation of Colorado in 2017.
‘The shards that cut me deepest were the ones that intended to cut,’ she said, according to the Denver Post.
‘Knowing that after eight years of working really hard for this country, there are still people who won’t see me for what I am because of my skin color.’