Secret Service Agents Not Going Quietly Into The Night
04/26/2012
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Secret Service agents and officers are party animals. So are soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines.  They have a stressful and much demanding duties, long hours and precious little pay for the hours they work.  And like most Alpha males they like to blow off steam.  Contrary to the beliefs of some that they are sinless guardians, they can be quite randy.  And they are pushing back from the ill advised disciplinary actions over the non-event in Cartagena.

WaPo April 24, 2012 by Carol Leonnig and David Nakamura

Confidants: Secret Service Agents Contend Misbehavior On Trips Not Unprecedented

Some Secret Service employees accused of misconduct in the Colombian prostitution scandal are privately contending that their conduct didn’t warrant dismissal because senior managers tolerated similar behavior during official trips, according to people familiar with the employees’ thinking.

Several of the men who agreed to resign under pressure last week are also considering reversing their decisions and fighting to keep their jobs, said the people knowledgeable about the case.

The prospect of Secret Service agents sharing embarrassing tales about rank-and-file employees and superiors partying to the hilt could bring more anguish to an agency reeling from scandal.

Those close to the accused employees said that in an effort to fight for their jobs they could opt to divulge details of how colleagues spent some of their downtime on presidential trips — drinking heavily, visiting strip clubs and cavorting with women for hire.

“Of course it has happened before” said one agent not implicated in the matter, remarking on the Secret Service’s history of occasionally licentious partying. “This is not the first time. It really only blew up in this case because the [U.S. Embassy] was alerted.”

Contrary to the claims of Jed Babbin, who as a former Air Force officer should know better about licentiousness of airmen and officers at Clark Air Base in the Philippines, the Secret Service hasn't had a blue nose attitude like the FBI under Hoover or the Treasury Department's Prohibition enforcers, at least in private.  And the infamous girls of Angeles City tell us about the tendency of airmen and officers to seek out loose women.  So people like Babbin should deal with some facts first.

Since there is no credible information about anything other than some agents and officers were at sometime involved with ladies of the evening, which is legal in Cartagena, there is nothing to be concerned about.  Even the beautiful Dania admitted that she never knew they were in Cartagena for Obama's visit.  It isn't even clear that she was upfront about her profession when first meeting the agents. Remember, she was first drinking with them at a night club.  It is likely that she sprung the price on the morning after.  But, don't forget, it ain't illegal there.  And there ain't no USSS rule or regulation that prohibits sex outside of marriage.

But it does look like the Secret Service, by coming down on these agents prematurely, will make the matter worse.

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