Secret Service agents with Obama at summit relieved of duty

[one_voice]

CARTAGENA, Colombia - A dozen Secret Service agents with President Barack Obama at an international summit have been relieved of duty because of allegations of misconduct.

The Associated Press received an anonymous tip that the misconduct involved prostitutes in Cartagena, Colombia, the site of the Summit of the Americas. A Secret Service spokesman would neither confirm nor deny the allegation.

A U.S. official, who was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter and requested anonymity, put the number of agents at 12. The agency was not releasing the number of personnel involved.

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.





Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0412/75125.html#ixzz1rygBplL6

edited to add:

tried update with tweets...couldn't add them...

they can be seen here:

http://www.mediaite.com/online/12-obama-secret-service-agents-relieved-of-duty-over-alleged-misconduct-in-columbia/

[dhill926]

1. wtf??????

this ain't good.....a dozen?

[Fumesucker]

2. That large a number at one time seems.. Unlikely.. n/t

[Horse with no Name]

5. Unless it was like a blue flu or something...

But this isn't good...at all.

Fuck the embarrassment it can cause, I am a tad more concerned with the safety of the POTUS.

[MADem]

6. Sounds to me like an integrity issue--"duty to report" and they didn't, when they knew.

It doesn't mean they all were partaking of the goods, just that they may have known about those who were, and perhaps either facilitated the misconduct or willfully ignored it.

It could simply be one of those "loss of confidence" reliefs for cause--someone wasn't keeping track of subordinates when they should have been. It's unpleasant to sack someone who shirks their responsibility, particularly when they're not the ones actually participating in the misconduct, but there can be no exceptions. Particularly now. Obama will be out in the public eye a great deal between now and the general election, there can be no fuckups, no mistakes, no sloppy or lazy secret service agents.

That's if the report is accurate, of course. It does seem like a large number to me as well.

[itsrobert]

3. All government employees have annual training

on conduct overseas and the trafficking in the sex trade is not authorized.

[DeSwiss]

4. K&R

- Déjà vu all over again........

[font size=3]After 40 Years, the First National Security Whistleblower Still Seeks Justice[/font]

CommonDreams.org
Published on Friday, February 17, 2006
by Lamar Waldron and Thom Hartmann

After an outstanding career in law enforcement, Abraham Bolden was appointed by John F. Kennedy to be the first African American presidential Secret Service agent, where he served with distinction. But you haven't heard about Abraham Bolden during Black History month, because after helping to prevent JFK's assassination in the weeks before Dallas, Bolden was arrested on the very day he went to Washington to tell the Warren Commission about those attempts. Caught in a maze of National Security concerns that only became clear after four million pages of JFK files were released in the 1990s, Bolden was sentenced to six years in prison, becoming America's first National Security Whistleblower.

*snip*

Bolden went to Washington in the Spring of 1964 to tell Warren Commission staff about the Chicago and Tampa attempts, and other Secret Service laxity, such as late night drinking bouts by the agents. News reports of the late-night drinking of Secret Service agents the night before JFK's assassination were threatening to become a major scandal, but the Secret Service couldn't reveal that the agents were blowing off steam after the stress of the recent plots against JFK in Chicago and Tampa. While Warren Commission staff had heard vague rumors of the Chicago plot, they had been told nothing about the Tampa attempt (which would continued to be withheld from the later Congressional investigations into JFK's assassination).

MORE

[elfin]

7. Makes me SICK

I know that Sec. Security has had its problems, BUT are they less vigilant because our President is not shiny WHITE??

Who or what agency is in charge of them? Chagrined that I do not know for sure.

And in Colombia-- already a high alert danger location.

I have feared for our President from his campaign and into the Presidency due to the heightened hate rhetoric against him and his family. Now fear for him abroad in equal and now more measure due to this report

[justabob]

12. Homeland Security has them now

They used to run out of the Dept of Treasury.

[grasswire]

8. scary scary stuff

who's to say it isn't a concerted attempt to discombobulate those who defend him?

[HooptieWagon]

9. Prostitutes? They wont be fired...

Theyll be reasigned to Newt.

[Major Nikon]

10. Too much undercover work is not necessarily a good thing

[FarLeftFist]

11. See! Even the Secret Service supports working women!

[Poll_Blind]

13. I find it hard to believe. nt

PB

[EFerrari]

22. It's a little weird, I agree. nt

[Tx4obama]

14. The whole unit was pulled off duty - but we don't know how many were actually involved.

It may have been only ONE or TWO that are allegedly involved.

Apparently ALL 12 in the unit were pulled off duty - but no one has said that all were involved

Ed Henry ? @edhenryTV

told by senior official at least 1 Secret Service agent alleged to be involved w/prostitute in Colombia, serious enough diplomats called in

http://twitter.com/edhenryTV

See here for more info : http://www.mediaite.com/online/12-obama-secret-service-agents-relieved-of-duty-over-alleged-misconduct-in-columbia/


Also, I'm waiting to hear if the rogue Secret Service guy/s were Republican or not

[nadinbrzezinski]

15. In this case take your political blinders off

Not everything revolves around red/blue.

[Tx4obama]

17. Everything is political if it has to do with The President.

Until we know who the SS guys are and who snitched on them and what actually happened - the many unanswered questions could change what the facts are regarding this incident.

Thank goodness the 'event' happened BEFORE President Obama arrived in Columbia, otherwise all sorts of 'other' rumors probably would have arisen.

[nadinbrzezinski]

18. No dear, security violations are not political

They are major fuck ups and headaches.

If you want to think otherwise that is your prerrogative. But not everything is political. And the secret service is the last place to look for that...or the Estado Mayor Presidencial, or any equivalent service around the world. Their only concern is...their package.

Anything after that is quite frankly academic as far as those people are concerned. This is an industrial sized security violation... But it is one of those places where politics has little space. If it dd, the whole team would not have been pulled, nor would all have a very long few months ahead of them.

[Tx4obama]

19. The Secret Service director is a Bush II appointee.

I'm looking forward to see what he has to say.

[nadinbrzezinski]

20. And...so you think this is a huge conspiracy

Let me guess he is a law enforcement pro who's worked intel and security of VIPs for a few decades.

This is not FEMA fer chrisakes.

[Tx4obama]

21. I never suggested it was a conspiracy. The buck stops with him.

Everyone under him is his responsibility.

All I said was I was looking forward to hear what he has to say.

Please don't try to put words into my mouth

[nadinbrzezinski]

24. You said you wanted to know if these guys were republican

You might want to re-read that.

And yes, the buck actually stops with his bosses at DHS and POTUS.

In reality this is going to stop at a much lower level...that is the way the real workd works and you or I will not hear the results of the very serious enquiry. A few people will be encouraged to retire, and whoever did this will be fired...since nobody got hurt, if no intel leak happened, or it can't be proven, it ends there. Otherwise somebody is in possible prison term hot water.

If any of that team, probable, remain in the service, they can kiss any VIP assignment goodbye. They will be given less than carreer advancing details. After all POTUS is the most desirable in the secret service.

That's the real world.

You will hear some wonderful formula answers if they need to actually talk to the media from somebody who does that. Quite frankly I do not expect to hear him, now Napolitano...as the secretary, perhaps a hearing. That is where politics enters the mix.

That is the real world.

In reality they will try hard to push this off the news cycle ASAP for very valid security reasons.

[Tx4obama]

25. Just because I'm wondering if they are republican ...

doesn't mean that I think there's conspiracy.

I think you've read more into what I said than I meant.

Have a great weekend

[nadinbrzezinski]

16. They will make it about the embarrassment

with the host country, but this is a huge security violation.

And security breaches are always fun since you gotta assume sensitive information was shared with foreign nationals.

By the way this works this way regardless of country. There are certain things that are no-nos with personnel with access to sensitive information.

[Union Scribe]

28. Another area of your expertise? nt

[nadinbrzezinski]

31. Actually sort off

Was part of the medical team in one Presidential visit in Tijuana (Mexican President)

And I had another very close encounter in that case with a former American president and lovely guns from both the Secret service and their Mexican counterparts. Let's just say some folks ended up in pet detail.

And between beeing married to a submariner where they take security very seriously and having had a few briefings where security and what we could and could not say was part of it.

There are a few things I'm taking with me, even if it's been a few decades.

I suppose I have more experience than most and far less than some.

Oh and let me add, there are these things called books...they are sort of a new invention...I know. Some of us actually read on this stuff as well.

[dogknob]

23. Columbian hookers have a legendary reputation...

... In hindsight, I doubt whatever fun was had will be worth getting fired over.

[Poll_Blind]

29. ...for being 14.

I'm not sure what this was over, though. I've read a few things from trouble with prostitutes to simply drinking heavily during their stay.

PB

[countryjake]

26. They're saying the entire unit was recalled...

"for purposes of the investigation", so it sounds as tho they're trying to figure out who knew what, when, and where, not that all twelve were actually involved in the allegations.

But it sure sounds like at least one of those guys is in deep trouble for shirking his "Professional Responsibility".


http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/us-secret-service-agents-recalled-from-colombia/2012/04/13/gIQAEdW9FT_story.html

[Tx4obama]

27. * * * * * Additional Information * * * * *

<SNIP>

The agents were staying at Cartagena's Hotel Caribe, which is also hosting members of the White House staff and press corps during the summit

A hotel employee, speaking on the condition of anonymity for fear of losing his job, said the agents arrived at the beachfront hotel about a week ago. The employee described the agents as drinking heavily during their stay.

The employee said the agents left the hotel Thursday, a day before Obama and other regional leaders arrived for the weekend summit.

<SNIP>

More here: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/L/LT_AMERICAS_SUMMIT_SECRET_SERVICE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-04-14-02-26-27

[nadinbrzezinski]

32. Yup, the advance team.

[countryjake]

33. hmmm...wouldn't wanna be that hotel employee...

not supposed to divulge secrets about the SS, ha!

This plot is getting thicker as more comes out about it. They've said now on the news that only one agent was actually the troublesome fella, yet that piece makes it sounds like all were partying hardy.

[bluestate10]

30. One article stated that one agent engaged prostitutes.

Pulling all agents home seems to be a precuationary measure, most of the agents likely were doing their jobs and knew nothing about what was happening.