Two Secret Service agents have been taking off President Obama’s security detail, and are set to be investigated, after they were accused of misconduct and sexual harassment.
The Washington Post , who named the duo involved, have alleged that one of the agents left a bullet inside a woman’s hotel room, and then repeatedly demanded to be let back inside in order to retrieve it. The same agent reportedly also sent a sexually explicit email to a female employee, alongside another secret service colleague.
Ignacio Zamora Jr, a senior supervisor who during his tenure had to oversee around 24 agents as part of his security detail, is rumored to have come into contact with a woman at the bar in the Hay Adams hotel, which is located near the White House, back in May.
Zamora Jr is then believed to have joined her in her hotel room, which is when he removed his ammunition from his weapon. When he absconded, he then realized that he had left a single behind.
However, when he tried to get back in to get the bullet back, the woman refused, and he continued to pester her. He then decided that his best route of entry would be to tell hotel security that he was a Secret Service agent, before demanding that he be allowed into the room again. This led the hotel’s staff to inform the White House.
An investigation into the incident was then launched, which involved a routine search of Zamora’s Blackberry that revealed there were several sexual messages on his government-issued mobile phone directed to another female agent.
The investigation also unearthed further text messages to the same female agent’s phone from Timothy Barraclough, another supervisor.
Because of their alleged misconduct, Mr Barraclough has since been transferred to another detail, while Mr Zamora has been removed from his position.
Last April, the secret service’s reputation was tarnished after it was revealed that several of its employees were involved a prostitution scandal. A number of agents were ultimately dismissed after they were accused of hiring numerous prostitutes while they were staying in Cartagena, Colombia.
In March, Julia Pierson was hired as the Secret Service’s first female director after a long and illustrious career as an agent. Her appointment was designed to help restore public confidence in the service. Officials from the Secret Service have not commented on the latest matter.
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