A Secret Service sex scandal
Agents preparing for President's Obama's visit to Colombia were placed under investigation for allegedly hiring prostitutes.
The U.S. Secret Service was rocked by the biggest scandal in its history last week after 11 agents assigned to President Obama were placed under investigation for allegedly hiring prostitutes. The men were preparing for Obama’s visit to Cartagena, Colombia, for the Summit of the Americas. Investigators said that the agents and 10 military personnel partied at a bordello before bringing at least 20 women back to their hotel. Local police were summoned the next morning after one woman refused to leave an agent’s hotel room, claiming she was owed money.
The agent paid up, but the incident was reported to the U.S. Embassy. Sen. Susan Collins, who sits on the Senate Homeland Security Committee, said she was pressing the Secret Service to determine whether the president’s security had been “jeopardized.”
How could elite agents be so stupid? asked The Wall Street Journal in an editorial. By acting like “college freshmen on a fraternity road trip,” these men opened themselves to blackmail and risked the president’s safety. It’s unlikely that this was the first such episode. Investigators urgently need to establish how often such behavior has occurred and how much higher-ups knew about it.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Let’s curb the outrage, said Timothy Noah in The New Republic. “Obviously you don’t want people who are supposed to be guarding the president wandering off to pick up prostitutes.” But this cavorting took place two days before Obama’s arrival, in a country where prostitution is legal. “Naughty behavior by 11 guys in dark glasses” isn’t something America should lose sleep over.
Nor should we be shocked, said Dana Milbank in The Washington Post. After all, the U.S. is the home of “Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, and Snooki. Debauchery is an American specialty.” At the very least, this scandal should help refute claims that government employees are “out of touch with ordinary Americans. As it turns out, some federal workers reflect our culture all too well.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Big Tech's answer for AI-driven job loss: universal basic income
In The Spotlight A new study reveals the strengths and limitations
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
'I will not be silent' on Gaza, says Kamala Harris
Speed Read In a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Harris supported Israel's right to defend itself while expressing a desire to end Palestinian suffering
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
'How long can TikTok dominate as a social network?'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Biden, Trump urge calm after assassination attempt
Speed Reads A 20-year-old gunman grazed Trump's ear and fatally shot a rally attendee on Saturday
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Supreme Court rejects challenge to CFPB
Speed Read The court rejected a conservative-backed challenge to the way the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is funded
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published