Secret Service Manager Suspended After Sexual Assault Allegation

The U.S. Secret Service said it placed a manager on leave and suspended his security clearance amid allegations he made unwanted sexual advances toward a female subordinate, the latest accusation of personal missteps by agency officials.

A female employee said that Xavier Morales, a manager in the security clearance division, made unwelcome sexual advances at a party last week and later tried to kiss her in the office, the Washington Post reported Thursday, citing people familiar with her complaint. At the office that night, Morales allegedly grabbed and held the female worker.

An agency spokesman said the Secret Service was notified on April 2, and internal inspectors conducted interviews that afternoon. Director Joe Clancy also was briefed that day, and asked the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general to conduct an independent investigation.

The spokesman, who requested anonymity to discuss the case, said Morales had been placed on administrative leave and had his security clearance suspended.

“The Secret Service is an agency that demands that our employees conduct themselves with the highest level of integrity,” Clancy said in an e-mailed statement. “These allegations as reported are very disturbing. Any threats or violence that endangers our employees in the workplace is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”

Last month, two Secret Service agents were suspended when their car hit a temporary barricade near the investigation of a suspicious package on a street outside the White House. Clancy later told a congressional panel he was not made aware of the episode for five days.

Clancy also told a House Appropriations subcommittee that there was “element within our agency that does cope with the stresses [of the job] by using alcohol.” Late last month, the agency issued new guidelines regarding the consumption of alcohol and use of government-issued vehicles.

In September, Julia Pierson, Clancy’s predecessor, resigned after a man was able to scale the White House fence and enter the executive mansion.