Secret Service pushing out 3 members amid Colombia scandal
Three U.S. Secret Service members have left or are being pushed out of the agency following a prostitution scandal that erupted in Colombia ahead of a visit by President Barack Obama, the agency said in a statement Wednesday.
The agency reported that one supervisory employee was allowed to retire, another supervisory employee was proposed to be removed "for cause," while a third has resigned.
A separate review board is expected to be created in the coming days to examine to Secret Service practices to determine whether the recent controversy remains an isolated incident or is instead emblematic of a broader agency culture, a source said.
The remaining eight members allegedly involved in the scandal remain on administrative leave, with their security clearances suspended, as the investigation into their alleged misconduct remains ongoing.
Scandal raises questions about macho agency culture
As many as 10 U.S. military personnel from all branches of the armed forces are also being questioned about potential misconduct, including five members of America's elite Army Special Forces.
The alleged prostitutes, the youngest of whom were in their early 20s, had all signed in at Cartagena's Hotel El Caribe where the Secret Service members had apparently stayed, flashing their local ID cards. But one of the women, the source said, was involved in a dispute about how much she was allegedly to be paid for night.
The agency reported that one supervisory employee was allowed to retire, another supervisory employee was proposed to be removed "for cause," while a third has resigned.
A separate review board is expected to be created in the coming days to examine to Secret Service practices to determine whether the recent controversy remains an isolated incident or is instead emblematic of a broader agency culture, a source said.
The remaining eight members allegedly involved in the scandal remain on administrative leave, with their security clearances suspended, as the investigation into their alleged misconduct remains ongoing.
Scandal raises questions about macho agency culture
As many as 10 U.S. military personnel from all branches of the armed forces are also being questioned about potential misconduct, including five members of America's elite Army Special Forces.
The alleged prostitutes, the youngest of whom were in their early 20s, had all signed in at Cartagena's Hotel El Caribe where the Secret Service members had apparently stayed, flashing their local ID cards. But one of the women, the source said, was involved in a dispute about how much she was allegedly to be paid for night.
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