Those who are exempt -
Who is exempt from airport security?
By Ed O'Keefe
Increased scrutiny of airport security means public officials are being asked if they have or would be willing to endure airport security pat-downs.
"Not if I could avoid it. I mean, who would?" Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told CBS on Sunday. But Clinton, who travels on government aircraft with a large security detail, is a rare exception.
Here's a review of who can and cannot bypass airport security, according to the Transportation Security Administration and conversations with congressional and Obama administration aides:
Members of Congress: Congressional leaders who are assigned a security detail, including the speaker of the House, the House minority leader and the Senate majority leader, are allowed to pass through airport security checkpoints when flying commercial jets, according to the TSA. All other members of Congress are expected to stand in line and wait.
And lawmakers are no stranger to the potential embarrassments of airport security: Screeners ordered Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) to pull down his pants at Reagan National Airport in 2002 after a knee brace, surgically implanted pins in his ankles and a steel hip joint set off metal detectors. Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) last year cursed at Salt Lake City airport security screeners and claimed he was unfairly targeted for voting against collective bargaining rights for transportation security officers.
Government officials: President Obama, Vice President Biden and Cabinet secretaries who travel on government aircraft or with security details (Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates) obviously don't pass through security checkpoints.
Former presidents flying commercial with Secret Service agents, Cabinet secretaries who use commercial aviation and travel with bodyguards and some foreign ambassadors also traveling with guards are exempt from screening, according to the TSA and congressional aides. Cabinet secretaries without protection and other senior government officials flying commercial must be screened.
Members of the military: Members of the military traveling in uniform must pass through security checkpoints but are not required to remove their footwear unless it sets off a metal detector, according to the TSA. The agency also allows airlines to issue special access passes to military family members who are not flying but want to say goodbye or greet a loved one at the gate.
Law enforcement officers: State, local and tribal police officers who must fly with a firearm have to obtain an identifier code from the TSA before flying. The officer must present the code and law enforcement credentials before passing through security.
