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Updated at 11 p.m. ET: A dozen Secret Service personnel providing security for President Barack Obama at an international summit in Cartagena, Colombia, have been relieved of duty because of allegations of misconduct.
The Associated Press said it received an anonymous tip that the misconduct involved prostitutes in Cartagena, site of the Summit of the Americas. A Secret Service spokesman did not dispute the allegation.
The Washington Post reported that Jon Adler, president of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, told the newspaper the accusations relate to at least one officer having involvement with prostitutes in Cartagena.
A U.S. official, who was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter and requested anonymity, put the number of personnel at 12, the AP reported.
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Adler told the Post that the entire unit was recalled for the investigation. He later told the AP he had no specific knowledge of any wrongdoing.
The incident threatened to overshadow Obama's economic and trade agenda at the summit and embarrass the U.S. The White House had no comment.
Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan would not confirm that prostitution was involved, saying only that there had been "allegations of misconduct" made against Secret Service personnel in the Colombian port city hosting Obama and more than 30 world leaders.
“The Secret Service takes all allegations of misconduct seriously,” Donovan told the Post.
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Donovan said the allegations of misconduct were related to activity before the president's arrival on Friday night.
Obama was attending a leaders' dinner Friday night at Cartagena's historic Spanish fortress.
The personnel involved had been sent back to their permanent place of duty and were being replaced by other agency officers, Donovan said. The matter was turned over to the agency's Office of Professional Responsibility, which handles the agency's internal affairs.
"These personnel changes will not affect the comprehensive security plan that has been prepared in advance of the president's trip," Donovan said.
This article includes reporting by The Associated Press.
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Leave a Comment:
Big freakin deal Clinton got head in the white house and these guys did what every red blooded guy would do if they even did it,and were not on duty.
I believe when the secret service is out of the country,they are on duty ALL the time!
Only place to get them under age.
That is unbelieveable-----I guess these guys think, "Hey, I protect the leader of the free world, what can happen to me if I want to get a little action on the side?" UM...you're not really that naive are you?
Another story about criminals with badges acting as if the law does not apply to them.
Good grief. Are some of you people totally INSANE? Members of the Secret Service are not appointed by the President. They are civil service employees who serve multiple Administrations. Most probably, depending on their ages, these agents have served at least under Bush and Obama, if not Clinton, Bush and Obama; or, even Bush, Clinton, Bush and Obama. It is certainly regretable that at least one of these agents brought disgrace to our country, but this is NOT the fault of the President (and that would be my comment no matter WHO were President.)
At least one? How about 11. Eleven of them according to the current information. They brought hookers back to the hotel. The hotel the President was staying in.
Secret Service & the FBI should be hiring at the highest standards - FBI may have improved a bit since GW left, but the Secret Service needs a good flushing out (especially now with the GOP/Tea Bagger nuts hanging out in left field). No convertible rides for you, Mr. President...
That's rightous, blaming the conservatives or tea baggers for the inability of the federal government to fire anyone!Try the SEIU who ,in thier contract make sure of being caught with a smoking gun and a dead body near you,you can't be fired.And in some cases if you admitted to the murder you could still draw your salary until convicted and lightly collect your benefits for life!Nice try! Tell your big union handlers to come up with something better than this!
SS Agents relieved of donor sperm, the same SS Agents that protected President Clinton while he was passing cigars to Monica. Hope they get CLAP.
"SS" is appropriate!
I see Berrie gave $47,000 to his kids and shows it own his tax returns as charity.Maybe he paid for this daliance and claimed he gave the money to his daughters!Very generous man!I'm retired and made one sixth of his income and paid 70% of what he paid in taxes!
That is actually total crap.
Hmmmm...30 other world leaders...There is a lot here that is not being told. This is one crooked Govt we have at present.
Well, tell us, Scot.
Yeah Scott...WTF are you talking about?
You get what you pay for!
What does politics have to do with this story anyways ? Just wondering......
Berrie? Secret service? On Duty?Columbia? That's what is has to do with! Seems you leftys can make all the secondary comments you want about conservatives but never step up to the plate and make a direct accusation! Just like cochroaches,turn on the light and they run away!BURY BERRIE-2012!
mas,
huh?
The problem is that these idiots have NO clue that there are some people who work for the government during multiple administrations. They are so into the "my team, your team" idiocy that they cannot imagine this. The individual(s) involved here in this incident embarrassed our country, which is unfortunate, but has NOTHING do with politics or which party it is that the person they are sworn to protect belongs.
I guess it turned out not to be such a secret service after all .... "LOL"
Bill Clinton is saying
'What about inviting me?'
Sorry Bill Clinton is the PI (pimp) and these are his "girls".
If clowns and $7 eggrolls can be paid for by US taxpayers, why not prostitutes? Employees at the Federal level are way out of control.
High pay,excellent lifetime benefits and retirement packages! Whats to not like!Except we have to pay all this crap!
A $7 eggroll would be manageable,it's the $20 eggrolls that bother me! Berrie doesn't but they sure like Vegas! $7000 in sushi!My highest bill with 8 people was $500(including tip)!Must to have been fun! You think the GEO have their own drug dealer!
Hmmm...I'm sure that they paid the hooker with a Goverment Mastercard.
please mr. obama raise our taxes. we need to keep these kind of social programs paid for.
And they'll get free contraception under Obama's plan ....
Good News/Bad News: Good news: the Agents can deduct the "personal escort" service charges on their 2012 tax return as business expenses. Bad News: The Agents used Government Issued Condoms that cost the taxpayer $100 each with government discount. Wonder how "stiff" a bill that will be??
What do you expect colombian women are hoter than the Kardashian dogs.
Ever notice that when there are 3-4 conservative folks, on one of these threads, at a time,how the little limp wristed,uber left wing boys and girls leave or stay very quite!
Well, when it's connected to their boy wonder ....
What would you expect .... ??
You ever notice that when really, really stupid crap starts being posted that the reasonable people leave the conversation? Goodnight.
I was gonna tell you why we all leave, but I can't bring myself to be that mean. Also, it's "Barry", if you're gonna use that tired talking point. Not "Berrie". Also, Goodnight.
An early bomb from internal remnants of the last pres.. detail.
If there are agents who are messin' around--I don't believe, after 4 years there are agents who are messin'
Wins the prize for most fatuous post!
What's all this crap about republican pedophiles? Wasn't Clinton's Buddy John Wayne Gracy?
Carter! Not Clinton, Gacy was dead by then otherwise Hilery would have been hanging on his arm!
Its hard to believe Secret Service members will do such things when on a job assignment. That is dropping their guard and could have gotten killed by terrorists over there.
That is dropping their guard
More like dropping their pants ....
That's why no one should believe it. They are in trouble because in being as fastidious as such men and women are in their jobs, they saw something, they heard something they weren't supposed to. When one or more of them spoke up about it, the axe fell. Let your imagination and your reason take over from here.
Not reason, just imagination. C'mon Tom, if your going to ride the crazy train then go for it. Spin us a conspiracy.
Just apply experience and common sense. A president with a private agenda visits a foreign land and finds the statutory presence of some dedicated, patriotic men presents a problem to his plans. Experience says these secret service men are neither villains nor fools. To become a member of the detail that guards the president you have to be the creme de la creme of the secret service. Common sense and experience with generations of these men refute they went out a'whoring in a foreign land. Find an explanation:
Are there other choices? Is [1] reasonable? Is [2] reasonable? [3] of course, but fill in [3]. Which of 1 through 3 is the most simple, most reasonable?
yep, government workers....party, party party....I love how my taxes are spent by the government.
They were just helping out the local economy.
i don't give a rip what party you belong to. Defending this kind of behavior? Give me a break. Sob Sob Sob . . . their jobs are so hard, it could happen to anyone sob sob sob . . . what a bunch of garbage. this says a whole lot about the direction our country is going. give me a break. get the blinders off and realize that we need a change in this presidency and ALL of it's staff. of course the chief sent them home immediately, had to have it look politically correct same as with everything else he does . . . as long as he doesn't get caught on camera or microphone, everything is done just to look good . . .what a joke.
Who's defending this behavior? Do you think the SS gets restaffed every time there's a new President? I'm fine with slamming on Obama but shouldn't you at least try to make sense?
I just bet the Colombian government sent them back to the US. I can't imagine what a secret service agent would be doing with a prostitute. I mean after all prostitutes never come in contact with drug dealers and other criminals. They would not have information on who is connected to these criminals. They would not know which Colombian government officials are involved.