It seems Secret Service agents haven’t curbed their partying in the wake of the Colombia prostitution scandal.
Three agents responsible for protecting President Barack Obama during his visit to the Netherlands were sent home Sunday after a night of drinking left one agent passed out drunk in a hotel hallway in Amsterdam, the Washington Post reported, citing people familiar with the incident.
Hotel staff alerted the U.S. Embassy after finding the unconscious agent, according to the Post, which then informed the agency’s director. The incident occurred the day before Obama’s arrival.
Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan confirmed to the Post that three agents were sent home for “disciplinary reasons” and were put on administrative leave pending an investigation.
Two people familiar with the incident told the Post that the three agents are members of the Secret Service’s Counter Assault Team, which is tasked with protecting the President and fighting off assailants if he comes under attack.
The agents’ alleged behavior violates the rules adopted by the Secret Service after a notorious incident in 2012 in Cartagena, Colombia, when agents were caught spending a night with prostitutes ahead of Obama’s visit to that country. The President said at the time that the agents’ behavior was unacceptable and the scandal resulted in 10 agents being removed from their jobs.
