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Subscribe to RSSSecret Service Director Mark Sullivan testified Wednesday in front of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee -- the first time he spoke publicly about the prostitution scandal involving agents in Cartagena, Colombia. NBC's Pete Williams reports.
The alleged hiring of prostitutes suggests a cultural problem within the Secret Service, Sen. Susan Collins said Wednesday amid reports of new evidence of law enforcement misconduct during the president's trip to Colombia.
"This was not a one-time event," Collins, the senior Republican on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said during the first Senate hearing on the matter. "The circumstances unfortunately suggest an issue of culture."
"If only one or two individuals out of the 160 male Secret Service personnel assigned to this mission had engaged in this type of serious misconduct, then I'd think this was an aberration," the Maine senator said. "But that's not the case; there were 12 individuals involved . . . 12. That's 8 percent of the male Secret Service personnel in-country, and 9 percent of those staying at the El Caribe Hotel."
Service Service chief Mark Sullivan, who was called to testify at the inquiry, apologized "for the conduct of these employees and the distraction it has caused." But Sullivan's assertion that the agency has a "zero tolerance" policy on such conduct did not convince the lawmakers, who brought more allegations to light.
"We can only know what the records of the Secret Service reveal," said Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, who is leading the hearing. The records, however incomplete, show 64 instances of allegations or complaints of sexual misconduct made against Secret Service employees in the last five years, he said.
Lieberman cited three complaints of inappropriate relationships with a foreign national and one of "non-consensual intercourse," which he did not elaborate on. Sullivan said that complaint was investigated by outside law enforcement officers who decided not to prosecute.
A Columbian escort spoke publicly on the radio this week claiming to be the one at the center of the Secret Service prostitution scandal and revealing her version of events. NBC's Mark Potter reports.
Sullivan also told the committee an agent was fired in a 2008 Washington prostitution episode, after trying to hire an uncover police officer.
An older incident involved several Secret Service employees who were disciplined for "partying with alcohol with underage females in their hotel rooms while on assignment" at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Lieberman said.
Regarding the Colombia incident, Sullivan said the actions of a few should not taint the whole agency and its roughly 7,000 employees, and he pushed back on any suggestion that such behavior was considered acceptable when agents were on the road.
DEA agents investigated for hiring prostitutes in Colombia
The thought or the notion that this type of behavior is condoned or authorized is just absurd, in my opinion," said Sullivan, who has worked nearly 30 years at the Secret Service.
"I never one time had any supervisor or any other agent tell me that this type of behavior is condoned. I know I've never told any of our employees that it's condoned," he said.
Obama has called the Secret Service employees involved in the scandal "knuckleheads" and maintained that the vast majority of agents perform their work admirably.
The Washington Post, citing unnamed sources, reported that four of the employees involved in the incident are challenging their dismissals, saying the Secret Service has made them scapegoats for behavior that previously had been tolerated.
Sullivan told the committee that the agency's numbers differed: "We have two employees who had originally said that they were going to resign, that have now come back and said that they are going to challenge that."
Secret Service head: Prostitution scandal was 'aberration'
In addition to the two who rescinded their resignations, seven Secret Service employees retired, resigned, were fired or are in the process of having their security clearance permanently revoked because of the scandal.
Three others were cleared and a 13th employee is on administrative leave after reporting his own potential misconduct in a separate incident.
Collins said there was no excuse for "recklessness" and that the Secret Service employees had "willingly made themselves potential targets" who could easily have been drugged, kidnapped or blackmailed. Sullivan said no secret information had been compromised because of the incident.
Sullivan listened to senator after senator express concern. The agency's reputation was "badly stained" by the "sordid story," Lieberman said.
Colombia hookers not tied to cartels, terror group, Secret Service says
Lieberman and Collins, who were among lawmakers briefed on the incident, described the evening in mid-April when the men, in separate groups of two to four, went to different nightclubs and strip clubs, drinking alcohol heavily.
They returned to their hotel with women, some of whom were prostitutes, and registered them under their actual names as overnight guests as required by hotel rules.
"If one of the agents had not argued with one of the women about how much he owed her, the world would never have known this sordid story," Lieberman said.
Senator Scott Brown, a Republican, pressed Sullivan about some of the new rules announced by the agency since the scandal surfaced, such as sending a senior employee to supervise behavior on trips.
"I'm a little bit confused as to why we would be sending a $155,000 (annual salary) person, another person to basically babysit people that you say this hasn't happened before," Brown said.
A dozen U.S. military personnel also are under investigation in connection with the prostitution scandal in Colombia.
Charles Edwards, the acting inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security, which includes the Secret Service, told the hearing he would conduct an independent investigation into the events in Cartagena.
NBC News national investigative correspondent Michael Isikoff, Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Yeah shame on the Secret Service!! Nobody else working for our government (military included) sleeps with prostitutes!!
This is a rare case and isn't rampant at all
Maybe they should shoot up heroin too ....
Allot of people do that as well still .... "LOL"
Our whole government is a laughing stock. The left blames the right. The right is holier than the left. The right wants to control your choices. The left is giving you freedoms back and thats "big government?" The right only wants to challenge the left in the Senate when a Dem is the Prez. They never questioned Bush about 9-11, Iraq, the artificially inflated gas prices and neither did the Dems. They the GOP grilled Clinton for 7 years, only to find out he got a blow job and they couldn't make WhiteWater stick.. WHOA a blow jobs is worse than lying about WMDs, 9-11..
So the SS got a few handys and blows by a few Colombian hookers, its legal down there. The Prez probably wasn't invited so no harm no foul. Were they off duty? Were they using a government CC? Again the GOP are on a witch hunt looking for a scandal, all-the-while ignoring the problems AMERICA is facing. Its very sad that Willard Romney is very close and could actually win the election, with all that ills America that the GOP is ignoring. Mittens himself has said his main focus is defending Israel by invading Iran, and slashing most every program and agency in America, while redistributing the monies to the war effort with Iran. Although I doubt he, nor the GOP realizes the consequences of such an invasion. China and Russia will back-up Iran.
this is just another obama game, questionable tactics to attempt cover up the real purpose of his visit. these guys were just available, vulnerable and convenient for the top banana and his team. i don't believe one shred of it.
Third-world 'tang is not a threat to our national security.
It's more like a fringe benefit to compensate for being assigned there for duty.
Don't just love these "holier than thou" congressman that "grill" on an ever- increasing after the fact manner those, who are being paid to serve the public for their indiscretions!!!! We the taxpayers pay good hard earned dollars for our political "LEADERS", (and I use the term leader very loosely), for managing our government and it's employees. I'd say it's congress which has failed here not just those who chose to do that which they were not expected to do!!!!! I suggest we the voters FIRE them all, beginning with those in congress who were to provide the required oversight!!!
This issue of foreigners in search for prostitutes, and people from the same country in seek for prostitutes this is a very common issue. "People throw stones, and hide their hands" like if they were saints. This is a universal cultural issue that people pretend to ignore and hide. People act and judge like if they never had done any type of infidelity, or getting involve with a prostitute or even having intercourse with multiple partners "free".
At least the US Senators are "grilling" him about something they have a lot of experience and knowledge about. They don't seem to be doing much to run the country except infighting and jockeying for personal and party power so maybe this is what they've been spending their time "researching'.
Yes Senator we have sex in our culture but looking at you we know you're in need..
Lieberman cited three complaints of inappropriate relationships with a foreign national and one of "non-consensual intercourse," which he did not elaborate on. Sullivan said that complaint was investigated by outside law enforcement officers who decided not to prosecute.
Incredible! How many ordinary citizens are sitting in our prison systems, and rightfully so, for non-consensual intercourse? Not only that- they must register as a sex offenders. So, again, the abuses of laws by officials who are suppose to support and uphold those laws. It is who they are and who they know, that they avoid the same punishment of others. Hard to keep their jobs as prosecuted and registered sex offenders! FOR SHAME! Trust us, our government says. A corruption at it’s lowest.
Oh how awful this "culture" of problems! Why don't we just fire every man that acts, well, like a man, and fill the ranks with gays, lesbians, transvestites, and other people that have their heads so far up theit hind-ends that they need to spend tax-payers dollars to pursue this idiocy. If they don't watch it, these political morons will demoralize the Secret Service and other intelligence agencies to the point that they don't give a flying f— — k anymore. THEN, how would you like to be a Senator Collins or President protected by THEM???/ Think about it. The only culture of immoral behavior I see is East of the Potomac in the Congress, Senate, and the White House.
This is almost funny. One group of government criminals is questioning another group of government criminals. We'll get some straight answers from this probe.
Only 9 %? I find that incredible. As a retired navy officer who spent most of my career in foreign lands, I would have expected the number to be much closer to 70 or even 80%. Do y'all think political fundraisers are prostitute free? And not just one party. Do you think there might be lobbyists with access to prostitutes for the politicians? Any good lobbyist (and for that matter, any beltway bandit seeking a contract) can tell you where to go to get whatever you desire.
Ladies, if you are married to a man who travels at all (military, politics, or private business), then don't worry. I give you my personal guarantee that your husband and I are both chaste while away from home. But you can't trust ANY other man!
The only reason a US Senator needs to be asking the Secret Service Agency Head about prostitutes is to find out where they can go to get them. More FRAUD, WASTE & ABUSE on the part of the US Senate.
Let the Senator without sin cast the first stone.
What a great diversion! These conservatives seem to have no concern for anything but sex. I suppose they will want to know every little detail. Nothing was done that Congress doesn't do themselves. Just ask the female interns.
Hobbes you don't have a problem with a few SS putting our national security at risk? This isn't or at least shouldn't be about sex it should be national security. And yes if congressmen and women are putting themselves into positions to be extorted they are equally bad.
National security at risk??? WTF are you talking about...fire the men that commited the crime and try them with the law of the land that they broke the laws at and move on...doesn't the senate have anything better to do? like maybe fix the problems here in the states?
I'm glad they've solved all of our other problems so that they can now focus on this - not!!!
These men were in charge of the security of The President of The United States. That alone says they need to held to a higher standard. I have no problem with what they do after work, but not while they are representing our nation in a forgen country. This is definitely about national security simply because of what they were there do do. If The President gets hit because they weren't 100% due to their all nighter, then that alone would throw the country temporally into turmoil. Like I said. I do not care if they mess around with hoe's, just not while they are on our dime. Also why the hell is The Senate looking into this.. It's been delt with, let it go.. They have much more important things to deal with.
We could make this much easier. Just supply the Secret Service with US Government issue sex partners when abroad. Note, I did not say women as not all men want women and visa vesra. Problem solved. Not chinese imported WalMart crap either. Made in USA! Made in USA!
Totally agree Gary. If they paid for their own vacation they can do whatever the hell they want. This trip was paid for by our tax dollars and they should be on their best behavior while representing our government. Hotels, airfare and food all covered by us...were the prostitutes paid out of their daily stipend?!
If your company pays you to take a business trip and you get a hooker in Nevada, that is grounds for being fired. You can't just do whatever you want on the company dime.
Gary and Skeptical are living in a dream world. Not all government employees...military , SS, postal workers, senators, et al are real hopped up on suppporting the HNOC and make it clear by their actions. Fire everyone who doesnt agree with MoBama, NoMama aint the answer; he simply needs to be replaced with someone whom all can respect. Respect aint there dude and dudette. Look around you, America's a far cry to the left since moJammer took the reigns or is your head so full of rap'crap you cant hear our country begging for relief. The neck of the bottles at the top, folks.
Point of fact....do you think this is the ONE AND ONLY such event? Every necktie crossing the big pond heads for hooker heaven when the plane lands. Most have contacts within our embassies who tip them where to go, whom to see, what to smoke. Tis human nature.....tracel a bit folks, see whats it like to 3rd world countries, you'll learn much.
And in Warshington? or Nevada? Ya think Harry Reid is clean after ruling Nevadas cathouses for decades, ya dont think he got some on the side? UGH!! poor hookers...can you imagine some babe having to nest wiuth Harry?? Americas Idol...nancy P? who was bedding her during her years struggling up the stairs of Washingtons ladder of suckcess? Howd ya like to wake up with that on your pillow dude? Think it over....everyone of them is stained. The best way to keep firemanf rom your house is to blow smoke into another house.
TNRebel - If you get pissed off when someone abuses their job on your dollar, then you must be enraged at the Senate and incumbant of the White House. You talk about "cleansing"; half of the USA needs their brains cleansed!!!!
Mike - They CAN'T try them because they broke NO laws of the land!!! Show me a law in Columbia where it says gringos can't bang scrawny hookers?? This is pure political theater designed to shift attention AGAIN from the real issue, and that is an administration that is so broken intellectually, morally, and functionally that they look at every little incident to morph into a media crusade. The day they lock these guys up will be the day they lock up Bill Clinton and half the politicians in Washington.
Most intelligent comment I've heard on this blog :-)
Ask the interns...like Monica Lewinsky?
Broke no laws...maybe not, but seems the initial reports said the agents had Obama's schedule with them where the prostitutes could have accessed them. Do you think that information might be valuable? Think a prostitute might sell that info? I believe it was a policy violation. Something to do with putting Obama at risk.
I hope the secret service questions the Senate about their sex secrets? It will be better!!!
They didn't drag David Vitters ho's into the senate chamber...oh wait a minutes..he's one of them
Doesn't the Senate have something more important to do? Budget, economy, debt, military support?
Exactly. Who gives a f? Deal with something the country needs...
I agree with you. Who gives a Sh-t? We have so many problems that are more important. But this takes our attention away from the fact that the government wants to give away all of our sovereignty to the UN before Obama leaves office.
Uh no. The US wants to take sovereignty away from Iran on behalf of the Israeli miscreants.
so whos really getting phucked here
No kiss.
Those at the top covering their azzes.
This has been going on for years.
These guys get caught and thrown under the bus.
Those at the top get off.
That's the way it works.
It will interesting reading when those who were thrown under the bus write their books.
All living presidents will go into hiding.
Stop the hypocritic grandstanding...and try to solve real issues like tax reform and debt ceiling... Enough of this charade of "holier than thou" attitude from these imbeciles.
Rather ironic when a totally disfunctional US Senate that hasn't produced a budget in 3 years can take time out of their "busy" schedule to "grill" the Secret Service over a couple hookers. What a total waste of time, money, and space. The only reason they do this is because the media will cover it. What about doing the work we sent you there to do????
Chuck.. please give me some of the LSD your on....LOL! These guys NEVER do there job. Name me the last time anybody followed the Constitution in this government.
I'm wondering of those who think this is a waste of Congress's time lived through the Kennedy assassination? Or were out of diapers when Ronald Reagan came very close to dying. Because if you've been through one of those events, you would understand how important it is for the Secret Service to be held accountable for any and all potential breaches of security. This is not a trivial topic like some here have suggested. The safety of this and every other President to come is not a trivial issue.
The SS men who f--ked some hookers were off-duty at the time. Do I have to spell this out for you, or are you simply convinced that these guys were sleeping around in the middle of their shift?? 'Cause, you know, it's kinda hard to @!$%# the hooker while you're trying to follow the Prez around......
Oh, and since the SS already has a "zero policy" on these issues, what more can the agency do to mitigate the issue? Have a "super-duper zero policy"?? These guys blew it, they got caught, and will be finding new jobs right now.
Actually I don't ever think you are off duty when securing our country abroad.
What Tom said, when you are in are abroad on tax payer money protecting the PotUS you are not off duty until he/she comes home safe. Thats it. That is the issue here. Most people don't care that they had hookers on their weewees. It put the mission they were on at risk (especially the married ones that could have been blackmailed)
I agree they were on duty...that being said...Fire them and move on. Zero tolerance policy and move on...no explanation needed other than "They broke the rules and were fired,We have a zero tolerance policy and they broke it". Send them back to Columbia and let them stand trail for their actions and move the F$$k on. Period
This was not a personal vacation for these guys, it was a business trip paid for by our tax dollars. When you are on a trip serving as a representative of a company, you are not allowed to act like an A-hole when you are off the clock. That is grounds for termination.
Mike, I agree and since prostitution is legal in Columbia, they committed no crime there, except for the guy who refused to pay for services rendered.
skeptical,
ROFLMAO, Having tended bar at a hotel, where companies held parties and conventions, I call BS. Bringing "models" is not in the least unusual. neither is being drunk and obnoxious. They schedule half our presentations, so they can spend the rest of the night partying and write the whole night off on the company expense account.
I have a question for the Senators instead? Why in hell don't yo leave the Secret Service alone, and get the Bank of America President into that chair instead and ask him to take a plea for fraud, corruption, SEC violations, mortgage extortion, and a hundred other charges?
Why are you, Senator, dealing with sex, a natural function, when all the money is being stolen in the trillons from the cookie jar of the people?
really what's the big deal about sex anyway...these ah's will jump on anything but real issues....
cosmic....Seeing at that is the responsibility of the Department of Justice, and they haven't charged him with breaking ANY laws whatsoever, what is your problem?
Meanwhile, the Secret Service, does NOT answer to DoJ, and they do provide SECURITY not only to the President, Vice-President, cabinet members, and others, but also investigate CRIMES like counterfeiting.
It's not about "sex", although you probably said the same thing about Clinton when he lied to a Federal Judge and a Federal Grand Jury.
It's about integrity, honesty, and security. Do you actually want some guy around that's willing to bring a foreign prostitute into his room WHILE he's setting up security for the President of the United States? Do you actually want the people that are responsible for the security of LEADERS of this nation to bring STRANGERS that they have no knowledge of ANYTHING about into the areas that they are setting up that security?
Oh, that's right. It's just about sex so actually cares about the security of the President?
Actually I think the DOJ only goes after states that don't follow lock step in immigration. They
To deal with the real issues cuts into their (senators) bottom line,if you know what I mean.
diversion and "make work" so their pay & benefits (great health ins) kick backs&round doors
insider trading & an enemy of the people wont be revealed
The Three Branches of Government live by do as I say, not as I do. Undercover freaks the whole bunch of them.... drugs, gambling, pornography, prescription abuse, prostitutes, insider trading etc.
I love working for the government!!
If they can't have some fun, men will no longer want to join the S.S.
It's not just the Secret Service breach of security, it's the 'attitude'...what if the CIA ran around all frat boy like this? Another World Trade Center? I may not have been born when JFK was assasinated, but I sure can remember WTC and the fact that we live with those consequences everyday....some of 'us' more than others, ask a veteran, especially a wounded veteran. #asleepatthewheel
What breach of security?? They were off-duty at the time, and even the hookers admitted that they didn't reveal any "secrets" (not that the hookers likely could've used the info in any meaningful way!....we're not talking about professional spies here!)
There was a breach of security, the hookers has access to any thing they wanted, these men are a bunch of scum bags, it seems that all Democrats think this is no big deal, wrong, and again shame on them.
Indy, how do YOU know there haven't been "professional spies"?
See, you just disregard it all, but a prostitute does what she does for one reason, MONEY. How hard would it actually have been to PAY a prostitute to take a look at a file, or to take a phone picture of a plan or map while the agent was sleeping?
Oh wait, we're not talking about "professional spies", are we? I forgot.
So, you're saying, for duty the following day, after that kind of partying, they were in great shape to do their job? Super focused? no headaches or distractions? what are they, robots? And I know they're not spies, I am speaking to the general 'attitude' within these departments that the president, and the country, for that matter depend on for our security as a whole. I think you knew what I meant, but I'll bite.
anytime the SS puts our country in the position of being extorted it is bad if not illegal.
CherylLM. LOL@U... EVERYBODY works for money. Maybe you give whatever you do for free? :P
It is refreshing to see everyone on here basically say "who cares?"
Yes these guys did somthing wrong. lets move on there are bigger issues.
Isn't national security supposed to be OUR governments NUMBER 1 job?
Well they put that at stake, so I guess you would like congress to go back to destroying the constitution?
Go to malialitman.wordpress.com and look for this article:
Shailey Tripp, an Ex-Prostitute from Alaska, Connects Todd Palin, the Ex-First Dude, to David Chaney, an Ex-Secret Service Agent
Margo OK....so this actually is about the security of the President of the United States, and not about putting something out what is just another unverified filth filled attack on a PRIVATE CITIZEN.
These men are a disgrace to America, and they chips off the old Democratic block, Clinton set the example for them all to follow.
and they chips off the old Democratic block,
Yes, let's just inject partisanship EVERYWHERE.
How about this instead chips off the old Federal Government block, They have set the example of getting away with do as I say not as I do.
Chips off the old Democratic block? I doubt it. Federal law enforcement guys are strongly Republicans. And you think the Democrats set the standard for sex in public office? The Dems don't hide what they do, not in comparison to the Repubs. It's no shame for a Democrat to be involved with, you know. s-e-x. But for a Repub to be involved with, you know, the s-e-x word, well, harrumph, that's a shocker!! Bunch of hyprocrites.
If this had happened under Bush's watch, it would be on every LIEberal news station all day long and beaten to death!
He is right John Edwards never hid anything.....biggest effing hypocrite's going are the LIEberal Dem's!
You ever get the sense that the Secret Service aren't taking their job too seriously with our current president?
soooo...The American govermeent is now condoning prostitution as a legit form of employment?
This is crap...why wasn't anyone called on the carpet when the DC Madame got arrested? There are spies here too...please, this is a waste of money and time. What about jobs? healthcare, food, education? Spare me the self righteousness...
I don't believe ther isn't any president, current or previous, who doesn't know about this existing culture..
Just saying...
Yet the government will spend more on the Roger Clemens case
Take just about any man, a bar, booze and the opportunity and you have the same scenario.
Didn't I just hear Dr Oz say men think about sex every seven seconds...........sounded funny at the time but
it is probably true.
They were just simulating the local economy no big deal.
This old dude looks like he's a zombie like he's on something.... the ought to pan fry his balls than shove them up his ass for doing what he did.... all Americans are like this anymore low class trash.... they'll have sex with children, do drugs and rape america clean selling the best parts to other underclassed countries to make themselves rich... and we the people are sitting here watching them like our asses are stapled in place.
"The alleged hiring of prostitutes suggests a cultural problem". Yes and if it is a "problem" it has been in every culture, society, civilization, uncivilization, hut, shack, cave, and hole in the ground since humans have lived here. And now out of the blue this Senator is going to rid the world of this "problem" that was not even prohibited in the Bible. Ok. It is the oldest profession in the world and more than a few steps UP from politician. Both have whores.
Secret Service chief Mark Sullivan looks like Deputy Trudy Wiegel's husband (executed "Truckee River Killer") from Reno 911. Wasn't this an episode of corrupt FBI agents on Reno 911? Or it could be a movie script for the Reno 911 Deputies take over for the Secret Service Agents that were fired - they all go back to Columbia to protect the President for his 2nd visit.