Secret Service engaged in ‘morally repugnant’ behaviour

Wednesday’s hearing was expected to expose sensational new details in the scandal, which became public after a dispute over payment between a Secret Service agent and a prostitute at a Cartagena hotel on April 12. The Secret Service was in the coastal resort before Obama’s arrival for a Latin American summit. Collins said several small groups of agency employees from two hotels went out separately to clubs, bars and brothels and they “all ended up in similar circumstances.”

“Contrary to the conventional storyline, this was not simply a single, organised group that went out for a night on the town together,” Collins said.

A dozen Secret Service officers and supervisors and 12 other U.S. military personnel were implicated. Eight Secret Service employees, including the two supervisors, have lost their jobs. The Secret Service is moving to permanently revoke the security clearance for one other employee, and three others have been cleared of serious wrongdoing.

The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that four of the Secret Service employees have decided to fight their dismissals.

Senators were expected to focus on whether the Secret Service permitted a culture in which such behaviour was tolerated. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has testified that she would be surprised if there were other examples, but senators have been sceptical.

In his own prepared remarks, Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan told senators the behaviour in Colombia was not representative of the agency’s nearly 7,000 employees.

You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

Leave a Reply

Powered by WordPress | Designed by: Premium WordPress Themes | Thanks to Themes Gallery, Bromoney and Wordpress Themes