Three Secret Service agents have been removed from US President Barack Obama’s security detail after reportedly going out for a night of drinking in Amsterdam.
Secret Service spokesman Brian Leary confirmed on Tuesday that the three had been sent back to the United States for disciplinary reasons, but declined to give any further details.
The agents were removed from their detail after going out for a night of drinking, according to the Washington Post. One of the agents was found passed out drunk in a hotel hallway a day before the president arrived in Europe, the Post reported, citing three people familiar with the incident.
None of the agents were supervisors, a Secret Service source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The incident comes despite the agency’s efforts to restore its reputation after a scandal in 2012 involving prostitutes in Cartagena, Colombia.
A report by the US Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general released in December urged tougher management and disciplinary standards, recommending that the Secret Service monitor and address excessive alcohol consumption and personal conduct within its workforce.
The agency was also urged to strengthen and clarify its policies for dealing with misconduct and disciplining employees.
Following the scandal in Colombia, Obama appointed Julia Pierson as the Secret Service’s first woman director in March 2013.
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