Three members of the Secret Service were sent home from Amsterdam on Sunday, where they were preparing for President Obama's arrival a day later.
The agents were out drinking Saturday night into Sunday morning, according to the
Washington Post.
A member of the hotel staff found one of the agents passed out in a hallway. Supervisors were alerted and the three returned to the United States later Sunday.
Special: Powerful New Movie Reveals Alarming Threats on U.S. Border – See Trailer Here.
In the wake of a
2012 scandal in Cartenga, Colombia in which 12 members of the Secret Service were caught drinking and in the presence of prostitutes before Obama's arrival, the agency implemented new rules. When a member of the service is on an official trip, the policy prohibits him or her from drinking alcohol 10 hours before starting a shift.
The Post reports there would have been a meeting on Sunday ahead of Obama's Monday arrival in the Dutch capital, so it would seem that the trio violated the 10-hour rule.
Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan told the Post Tuesday that the agency "did send three employees home for disciplinary reasons." He confirmed that they were placed on administrative leave and that the situation is being investigated.
Sources told the Post that the three agents were members of the elite Counter Assault Team (CAT), which is with the president at all times. If the president or his motorcade is attacked, the CAT's job is to draw fire and provide an opportunity for the president and/or other protectees to be evacuated.
"They received the best technical training in the service," one former agent told the Post. "They were the only team constantly training — training on assaults, on evacuations, all sorts of things. They were very squared away. It was really difficult to get on CAT."
One of the three agents in hot water was a "team leader" on the CAT, according to the Post.
Secret Service director Julia Pierson is reportedly with the president on his current trip to Europe and Saudi Arabia, although she was not in Amsterdam Sunday when the alleged incident occurred.
Former director Mark Sullivan stepped down in the months following the Colombia scandal. Pierson was sworn in last March.
Special: Powerful New Movie Reveals Alarming Threats on U.S. Border – See Trailer Here.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.