WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – Three U.S. Secret Service employees under investigation for alleged misconduct with prostitutes in Colombia before a trip by President Barack Obama are leaving their jobs, the agency said yesterday.
They were among 11 Secret Service agents and 10 U.S. military personnel who allegedly took as many as 21 women back to their hotel virtually on the eve of Obama’s weekend trip to Cartagena for the Summit of the Americas.
“Although the Secret Service’s investigation into allegations of misconduct by its employees in Cartagena, Colombia, is in its early stages, and is still ongoing, three of the individuals involved will separate or are in the process of separating from the agency,” Assistant Director Paul Morrissey said in a statement.
One supervisor was allowed to retire, another supervisor was proposed for removal for cause, and a third employee resigned in what may be the worst scandal in modern times for the agency tasked with protecting the U.S. president and other senior officials and figures.
The remaining eight Secret Service employees under investigation continue to be on administrative leave with their security clearances suspended, and face lie-detector tests about what happened in Colombia, the agency said.
“The Secret Service continues to conduct a full, thorough and fair investigation, utilizing all investigative techniques available to our agency,” the statement said. “This includes polygraph examinations, interviews with the employees involved, and witness interviews, to include interviews being conducted by our Office of Professional Responsibility in Cartagena, Colombia.”
