They've got muck; we've got rakes. TPM Muckraker

What We Know About The Secret Service Prostitution Scandal


The agent confronted by the hotel manager reportedly initially refused to open the door to his room, and the hotel called the local police on Thursday morning, King said, according to MSNBC. Once they showed up, the woman said she wouldn't leave until she was paid. The unidentified agent allegedly said he didn't owe any money but ended up paying her. Colombian law enforcement officials subsequently notified the U.S. embassy.

The New York Daily News says that the agents picked up the prostitutes at the Pley Club (NSFW) in Cartagena.

The Secret Service said the group of 11 was "comprised of both special agents and Uniformed Division officers, none of whom are assigned to the Presidential Protective Division." The 11 members of the team were replaced by agents from Puerto Rico and Florida before the President arrived in Colombia on Friday.

The five members of the military were assigned to Joint Task Force Summit of the Americas and "violated the curfew established by the United States Senior Defense Official in Colombia and may have been involved in inappropriate conduct," according to the Pentagon.

While prostitution is generally illegal in Colombia, there are "tolerance zones" where such activity is ignored. Hiring hookers is against Secret Service rules and any married agents who hired prostitutes would have violated their top-secret security clearance by engaging in an extra-marital affair.

President Obama said Sunday that he would be "angry" if the allegations turned out to be true. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), meanwhile, said his House Oversight Committee would investigate the situation.