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Misconduct in Colombia raises questions over the group's ability to protect the president and country
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Prostitution scandal one of the country's most in the lead agency is the Secret Service less -- 48 hours before president Obama's arrival and Colombia one of the world's most dangerous countries.
What -- US Secret Service agents doing.
Well you'd think they'd be preparing to keep the president safe but instead eleven Secret Service agents accused of excessive drinking and bringing ready for this month.
Prostitutes to their hotel Ed O'Keefe from the Washington Post joins us.
-- what's the latest.
Well we know that eleven Secret Service agents have had -- security clearances revoked -- -- investigation of the situation the Pentagon now says it at least five.
Military officials who were part of this.
Group that was putting together the -- are involved -- -- are probably more they reviewed the surveillance tapes from last Wednesday night when this went down -- hotel in Cartagena.
And they say now -- a few more are likely involved in the situation.
You've got an investigation ongoing and lawmakers are saying that -- keep tabs on the investigation and then -- to -- whatever happened.
And can't in this Secret Service tradition has been one of the search and we're most proud of -- you know -- -- an -- to our protecting the first time on other important.
And jobs have but.
It is it's appalling.
Both in the sense of security the president and also the scandal in a foreign country that we -- so even more and essentially -- -- -- prostitution business is legal.
He in Colombia but still the idea that we look like we're.
Party animals -- -- Colombia but Secret Service policy is that when you're overseas as a Secret Service agent -- uniformed officer.
You -- US slot of course prostitution is illegal so these guys have essentially broken the code of conduct and personal conduct.
And that's part of the reason why for now.
They're on leave it's likely -- -- of these guys are gonna lose their job.
Because it jeopardized the security -- -- the securities on the -- -- for the president they brought foreign nationals into their hotel rooms.
-- potentially you know exposed information we just don't know that at this point we learned tonight one of my colleagues is down there and stayed behind in -- he's been able to speak with some of the people involved.
He said that some of these agents paid about sixty dollars apiece to owners -- what's called the clay club face strip club in an industrial part of -- -- To bring at least two women back to their rooms.
And in the morning what what set off this whole situation is that one of the women refuse to leave without being paid an additional 170 dollars -- one of the agents who disputed payments.
They had a bit of a disagreement here eventually paid the woman she left the hotel and in Colombian police.
By their policy had to inform the US embassy that they had an incident when Americans and that's from the Secret Service yeah.
I just it's this post so almost impossible to believe -- -- traveled with them with the president travel at first ladies have traveled sub sector stickers it's a different force with the state department of command but I've never seen a -- organization more seriousness of purpose.
And realizing how -- the gentlemen they're very serious there almost humorless when I travel of them because they're so serious about their jobs is that I'd say this is just.
I didn't sexy unspeakable it is and you know we keep talking to some of the lawmakers who familiar -- -- this agency who.
Who track the stuff they say look it's no excuse but.
This is a high stress job.
Thank you very high percentage that is actually searching is that they don't do the job -- the most important job to protect the most powerful.
Person in the world the president -- state -- I don't care that it's stressful I really don't.
Well and I think that anyone who's it was -- yeah.
Yeah they make CNET as an excuse yeah and it may be said this and they said look -- Overall they have protected presidents to protect former presidents they protect -- -- when they come here.
This appears to be right now at least an isolated -- there have been some suggestions that there are these so called.
Wheels up party is that when a president leaves a country that advance team is still there then goes out has a party.
Wheels up rings off it's called apparently there's some culture of that.
The secret shields up and that new -- we'll clean that -- them and every area except the and they garage and they know -- -- our -- that -- -- military court officials how -- what how -- from military officials we don't know they're part of south com Southern Command which is in the US military operations basically in Latin America.
Military but 200 military state department's Secret Service White House officials you know -- the other FBI whatever are all involved in advancing.
One of these big trips and so there were eleven Secret Service agents at least five members of the military likely more now the Pentagon said today.
Even a joint chiefs a step -- of staff chairman Martin Dempsey.
Made it very clear we screwed up -- -- -- -- and that's it and then made the boss upsets could estimate -- it's actually more than a minute he never traveled overseas where people are still looking to the United States for sort of moral leadership when he greeted the president or not I pick this year you know we really don't humiliate our -- or put our president that -- is it just really reflect on the rest of us it doesn't look.
The White House is separated itself from this it says look we don't have any into -- Secret Service planning but I'll tell you they must be upset.
Nobody knew really that the plumbing they knew what the president was going on Colombia for two days it was -- -- -- you know this today.
And and I think the White House was hoping OK we -- go to this conference.
We don't really wanted to be part of our agenda right now clearly it's important but you know with an election to focus only of an economy to worry about.
He's -- go to this conference will come back we'll go back to talk about the economy get reelected.
-- now Bruno's who went to Columbia nobody knows what he did there because the guys who are there before him screwed up.
And now there's going to be once maybe years of investigation and fallout from us.
I doubt -- and leave paid leave the -- the way it works whether there -- TSA employee or Secret Service career employee you get put on administrative leave pending an investigation.
An investigation is completed in these guys we have here at Michigan this from -- -- surveillance tape in a hotel -- a hotel lobbies and in a hotel -- -- how -- we've asked they say there's no timetable but I would suspect this -- be dealt with very quickly.
Plummeted -- -- and somebody you will resign instead of force just runs and anyway -- -- don't hold your breath now from Ed thank you.
