Another incident involving misconduct by secret service agents came to light this week when 3 agents responsible for the security of US president Barack Obama were sent home. According to sources, the three agents involved in this incident reached the Netherlands two days before the arrival of the US president and went to Huis Ter Duin Hotel, a resort town near Hague. All three of them indulged in endless drinking and one of them was so intoxicated that he couldn’t get his key to open his hotel room and passed out in the hotel lobby. Looking at the sorry state of affairs of security agents, the hotel staff immediately contacted the US Embassy in Netherlands and informed them about their condition.
The US embassy then contacted the Secret service manager and agency director Julia Pierson which led to sudden action against all three of them. The spokesman of the Secret services informed the media that their agency did send the three agents back home for showing irresponsible behavior and they have been put on administrative leave pending further investigation of the entire incident. It is to be noted that all three agents which have been found guilty of moral turpitude belong to the Counter Assault Team often addressed as CAT, a team whose agent’s job is to protect the President if he or his motorcade is attacked. They are expected to be highly fit and alert at all the times and undergo highly complicated technical training and thus it is extremely difficult to get into this squad.
According to the regulations of CAT and US secret service agencies, the agents on official trips are strictly prohibited from drinking alcohol or similar products involving intoxication at least 10 hours before being on duty. According to latest reports, the senior officials in the White House are extremely disappointed and frustrated with the irresponsible behavior of these 3 agents as they were entrusted the responsibility of protecting the 1st man of America i.e. Barack Obama. However, this incident involving the agents is not one unusual and has definitely brought more light to the Cartagena Scandal that happened in 2012. This incident took place in a hotel of Columbia where US security agents were allegedly having an argument with a prostitute in a hotel lobby and refused to pay her fees.
This particular situation in the Netherlands has led to the removal of 10 agents from their high-profile jobs, led to several investigations and reports and several rules and regulations were framed for ensuring responsible behavior of agents on duty in order to avoid any such shameful incidents in future. Even Barack Obama is quoted as saying that this kind of behavior by agents is totally unacceptable and agents must exercise the highest standards of behavior especially while traveling in other countries.
