White House Crash Signals More Trouble for Secret Service
WHITE HOUSE—
More details emerged Thursday in the case of two high-ranking U.S. Secret Service agents who are under investigation following allegations they smashed a government car into a security barricade at the White House after drinking at a party.
In a story first reported Wednesday by The Washington Post, local police and Secret Service officers were investigating the discovery of a suspicious package near the White House when the agents drove through an entrance that had been closed off. Quoting unnamed sources, the Post report indicates the two agents may have not only disrupted a possible bomb investigation but possibly driven over the suspicious package that was being investigated.
Officers on the scene wanted to arrest the agents and give them field sobriety tests, according to the Post, but supervisors allegedly intervened and ordered that the men be sent home instead — suggesting a possible cover-up.
One of the agents has been identified as the second-ranking commander on President Barack Obama's personal security detail. The investigation is being conducted by the Homeland Security department, which oversees the Secret Service.
"If misconduct is identified, appropriate action will be taken based on established rules and regulations," said Secret Service spokesman Brian Leary.
"The fact that this event involved senior-level agents is not only embarrassing but exhibits a clear lack of judgment in a potentially dangerous situation," said a joint statement issued by Representative Jason Chaffetz, the chairman of the Republican-led House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and Representative Elijah Cummings, the committee's top Democrat.
More here: White House Crash Signals More Trouble for Secret Service
