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Subscribe to RSSPresident Obama's visit to Colombia was overshadowed by an alleged prostitution scandal involving 15 members of the Secret Service and U.S. military. Obama said he'll "be angry" if it turns out the allegations are true. NBC's Kristen Welker reports.
Updated at 6:05 p.m. ET: At a Sunday press conference wrapping up his visit to Colombia, President Barack Obama said he would be angry if it turned out the allegations that 11 Secret Service agents brought prostitutes back to their hotel rooms were true.
“When we travel, we have to observe the highest standards. We’re not just representing ourselves. We’re here on behalf of our people,” he said.
The Secret Service put the agents on administrative leave Saturday as a congressman briefed on the situation gave details of the presidential security group's night with "presumed prostitutes" ahead of Obama's trip to the Summit of the Americas.
"This really is the biggest scandal in the history of the Secret Service," Ron Kessler, author of "In the President's Secret Service," told NBC News.
Agency Assistant Director Paul Morrissey said the employees were both special agents and uniformed division officers. None were assigned to directly protect Obama and the incident happened before he arrived.
The agency did not disclose the nature of the allegations but others confirmed that the behavior in question involved prostitutes.
After a Colombian prostitute complained to police that members of the Secret Service hadn't paid her, a unit was replaced and flown home. NBC's Kristen Welker reports.
Five military service members involved in the same incident were confined to quarters, officials said.
Morrissey said the Secret Service replaced the agents after allegations were made on Thursday, in line with the Secret Service's "zero tolerance" policy on personal misconduct.
"This is standard procedure and allows us the opportunity to conduct a full, thorough and fair investigation into the allegations," he said, adding: "These actions have had no impact on the Secret Service's ability to execute a comprehensive security plan for the president's visit to Cartagena."
But Kessler said the agency does have deep-rooted issues.
"There's a culture in the Secret Service that's fostered by the management of just nodding, winking, favoritism," he said. "What the agency needs is an outside director who can come in, clean house, change the standards."
Obama arrived in Cartagena for the conference on Friday and was scheduled to stay until Sunday.
Secret Service agents, military personnel accused of hiring prostitutes
U.S. Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., who was briefed Saturday on the investigation, told NBC that the women who stayed overnight in Colombia with the 11 Secret Service personnel were "presumed to be prostitutes."
King said two of the Secret Service personnel were supervisors and the 11 involved comprised both agents and uniformed officers.
"Eleven Secret Service personnel, 11 of them brought women back with them to their hotel rooms on Wednesday evening into Thursday morning," King said.
"As the women came to the hotel they had put their IDs at the front desk and you have to be out of the room by 7 o'clock in the morning next day," King said briefers told him. "A guest of a guest has to leave the hotel by 7 o'clock; one of the women did not leave. Hotel management went up to the room and agents would not open the door so police came up."
King said the issue was money.
"It was resolved quickly, the woman said she wanted to get paid, the agent said he didn't have to pay her but he paid. There was no crime, no one was arrested."
Prostitution is legal in "tolerance zones'' in Colombia.
But the police, according to King, filed an incident report with the U.S. Embassy. When the Secret Service agents at the embassy saw the report they immediately started an investigation with the special agent in charge in the Miami field office.
King, who heads the House Homeland Security Committee said that "obviously conduct like this cannot be allowed. It compromised the agents themselves, it compromised America's national security and it can put the president at risk. So this was wrong from the beginning to end."
NBC's Kristen Welker, Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Secret Service Agents Violated Top Secret Clearance
http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/secret-service-colombia-prostitutes/2012/04/15/id/435919?s=al&promo_code=EA81-1
Ronald Kessler reporting from Washington, D.C. — By allegedly
hiring prostitutes, married Secret Service agents in Colombia violated their
top-secret security clearances.
Every agent has such a security
clearance. An extra-marital affair if proven can be grounds for revoking a
clearance. Without that, no one can be an agent.
While some are single,
most of the 11 Secret Service agents and uniformed officers suspended in the
Colombia scandal are married. Two are supervisors. Aside from jeopardizing
security clearances, engaging prostitutes violates the basic Secret Service code
of conduct.
Read more on Newsmax.com: Secret
Service Agents Violated Top Secret Clearance
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I would be very angry if the allegation that Obama is not an American citizen is true, very angry....
Like they had time to visit a bar before closing time and pick up the drunkest chick there....
well come on where is Sharpton, Jackson, Tyler Perry, and Spike Lee - they're needed here to defend the black ones
Obama may as well withdraw from the campaign. If his own people don't respect him anymore than this, how can outsiders be expected to?!
LOL, good 'un allen.....
The self proclained KING will not go quietly. He will have to be tossed in November.
It's a problem within the management of the Secret Service, which Obama's not a manager there... as much as I don't like him I gotta say this isn't his fault and really isn't a reflection on him personally... he hasn't has respect from MOST people from the very beginning.
Steph-1811337, sorry, but the Department of Treasury falls under executive powers, so President Obama is definitely the leader of the pack on this one. You are right that it should be dealt with at a lower level.
However, it isn't a reflection on President Obama, and you are right it isn't his fault.
I think these guys are going to be counting counterfeit money bill by bill for their next job.
BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! I laughed until I snorted!!!
This brings a whole new meaning to the term "secret service". Not so secret anymore.
the pres can;t control the s.s. and what about the girls. why are they selling?
No pres. has ever been able to control the s.s., sadly... and the girls are selling cause it's legal in Colombia, they saw the expensive suits and knew they'd get a load of money.
The "girls" got $47.
These Secret Service Agents got secret service? I think they should have their behinds walloped by someone besides a prostitute. This government agency is not the only one that needs some discipline and a house-cleaning.
"We’re here on behalf of our people,” Shows how he see's Americans as his subjects that he rules over.....
Wherever the president goes, no matter who he/she is/will be they will always be there "on behalf of the people". The president (and entourage) is the Nation's representative. Always has been, always will be.
For SURE.........NoBama will Blame BUSH!
If NoBama wets his pants, or steps in dog poop........It's Bush' FAULT!
Oh No...It's the fault of Congress!
Oh no...it's the fault of the tsumani!
Oh no...it the fault of Greece!
LOL!
its only fitting if the GSA can waste 800k on a Vegas party that the secret service sould have hookers, call-girls. the waste and corruption of DC trickles down to the lower folks- will the GSA or these agents be fired remains to be seen- if you rid the Whitehouse and staff of corruption it would be a lonely place- Congressmen go in as upper class and come out multi-millionaires- inside trading has its financial privilage
Ooooo, the community organizer is angry. Look out!!
Was this the old Clinton detail?
Well if any of them are married, the wives know why they were sent home early. Not good for the married guys....LOL
I thought about that too! lol
We really have gone to @!$%#, Idiots!
Bammie should be upset if one of his agents shows up with the herp, just think how that will affect his healthcare....
as long as they don't eat at McDonald's or any other fast food.
Why would anyone care if they did? Prostitiution is legal in that area they were in. They were off-duty for the day. I don't see the harm. I've never had a prostitute, if I was where it was legal and had the money and time to spare, I might have tried it out just to see what it was like (taking precautions of course).
I bet he is mad, he wasn't there yet!! I'll bet the big problem is that the hookers were supposed to be put on an expense account like they always do and this one wanted her money now. They never let them use a charge card for the services rendered. It must have been a new girl and she didn't know this. I bet these guys will never do this again, they will just pay the hooker and add it as some kind of expense to get the money back later. Live and learn as they say in the White House.
The greatest social perversion on the face of the Earth-that thinks it is their civic duty to collapse the human rights from under everyone they are monitoring -are taking their civics lesson from one of the biggest closest freaks in all of human history..
Rep. King: Misconduct Involved 'Significant' Number of Agents
http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/Secret-service-Americas-Summit/2012/04/14/id/435882?s=al&promo_code=EA81-1
Obama's just mad they didn't call him for the par-tay in the oral office
If Obama is "going to mad", then he better be made at Congress and all the parties including fundraisers on both sides, Dem, and Reps. have with prostitutes.
That is NO SECRET in Washington that it goes on all the time, so whats the big deal with the CIA. Like this is anything new. Grow up Obama, this has been going on since the CIA was put in place.
Simply Amazing! The Secret Service did this for Bill Clinton all the time. They would check out women and bring them to the President. This has been going on for years even back during the Kennedy years. Obviously someone wanted make sure that this would make our president look good by throwing Secret Service and Military people under the bus to cover up for him, Wait till they start talking if their severance package is to small for being disciplined for what they always do secretly for they president. This is another black eye for this country thank you again Mr. President Obama!
A dilemma? Why would he be angry, he has been prostituting the whole country for 3 years !!