**Written by Doug Powers
President Obama is in Colombia, and before he arrived a dozen Secret Service agents were reportedly sent back to the US and replaced. The allegations revolve around the world’s oldest profession:
The agents were recalled after allegations of misconduct involving prostitutes in the coastal city of Cartagena, where Obama is attending the Summit of the Americas, the Washington Post first reported.
“There have been allegations of misconduct made against the Secret Service in Cartagena, Colombia, prior to the president’s trip,” Secret Service spokesman Edwin Donovan said in a statement, according to reports.
“Because of this, those personnel are being relieved of their assignments, returned to their place of duty, and are being replaced by other Secret Service personnel. The Secret Service takes all allegations of misconduct seriously.”
I suppose there’s a chance that what the agent(s) were allegedly engaged in could have had something to do with their official duties and the appearances were misconstrued, but, not unlike catching the exterminator going through your underwear drawer, it’s highly unlikely to be job related.
However, there could be a lot more — or less — to the story. We may never know.
Ed Morrissey over at Hot Air thinks that if this is true there could soon be one or more positions opening up in the Secret Service, so get your applications in asap. No, not you Bobby.
There have been a couple other recent incidents involving Obama’s security detail:
In November, Christopher Deedy, a federal agent with the State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security, was charged with second-degree murder after shooting a man during a dispute outside a McDonald’s in Honolulu. Though Deedy was off duty at the time, he was on the island to provide security arrangements for Mr Obama’s trip to an economic summit.
In August, Daniel Valencia, a Secret Service agent, was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving in Decorah, Iowa, where he was helping arrange security for Mr Obama’s bus trip through three midwestern states. Mr Valencia, who was off duty at the time of the arrest, was recently sentenced to two days in jail with credit for time served, and a fine of $US1250.
**Written by Doug Powers
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