Three more US agents quit over sex scandal

A sex scandal by US Secret Service agents in Colombia has forced three more agents to resign, bringing the number of people who have lost their jobs to six.


The latest casualties of the incident “have chosen to resign,” spokesman for the Secret Service Paul Morrissey said on Friday.

The agents have been accused of bringing prostitutes to their hotel in the Caribbean resort of Cartagena.

The incident happened on April 11 before US President Barack Obama’s arrival to participate in last weekend’s Summit of the Americas.

The US military announced earlier that it was investigating 11 service members linked to the scandal.

However, a twelfth member of the protection agency has now been implicated in the incident.

Morrissey said one member of the Secret Service group has been “cleared of serious misconduct but will face appropriate administrative action.”

The Secret Service said in a statement that it will continue “to conduct a full, thorough and fair investigation, utilizing all investigative techniques available to our agency."

The service members are required to remain at their home stations until the investigation is complete.

US Colombia prostitution scandal, politically embarrassing

The involvement of US Secret Service agents in a controversial prostitution scandal is to say the least “politically embarrassing” for the US administration, a former senior CIA analyst tells Press TV.


The comment comes as a number of US military personnel members and Secret Service agents accompanying President Barack Obama in his visit to Colombia for the Sixth Summit of the Americas are accused of involvement in “inappropriate conduct.”

The Colombian police authority said that -- while on duty -- the US personnel took prostitutes into their hotel rooms.

The police said the instances of misconduct had caused the Secret Service to send 11 of its agents back to the US.

To analyze the issue farther Press TV has talked to former senior CIA analyst David MacMichael from Washington. What follows is a rough transcript of the interview:

Press TV: Many thanks for joining us here on Press TV sir. Despite this scandal still growing the Obama administration continues to put weight behind the director of the Secret Service. Is that a wise move, considering many are now questioning if the practice is more widespread than meets the eye?

MacMichael: Well, I think so far the director of the Secret Service Mark Sulivan has been commanded by the administration as having the situation under control but of course and as you indicated one of those things which is a considerable political embarrassment to the administration simply because it raises questions about who is minding the store.

Also interesting in this affair is the fact that one of the secret Service agents who have been fired is a man named David Cheney who was formally on the Secret Service security detail in 2008 for Sarah Palin who was the Republican vice presidential candidate and who posted jokes about her on Facebook.

American Occupied Iraq seizes Turkish military aircraft for violating its airspace

Iraqi authorities have seized a Turkish military aircraft that violated the country's airspace. (File photo)

Iraqi authorities have seized a Turkish military aircraft that violated the country's airspace after it landed in the northern city of Mosul, Iraqi media reported.


There is no news on whether the aircraft was forced to land or made an emergency landing at Mosul airport on Friday, according to Iraq's Alsumaria news agency.

The aircraft was reportedly carrying an armored car that allegedly belongs to a high-ranking Iraqi official.

Earlier, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki accused his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan of interfering in his country's internal affairs, saying Turkey is becoming a “hostile state” in the region.

The Iraqi premier made the remarks in response to Erdogan accusing Maliki of taking an “egocentric approach” in politics.

Maliki also said the statements made by the Turkish premier “confirms that Mr. Erdogan is still living the illusion of regional hegemony.”

The latest tensions come in spite of Turkey’s position as one of Iraq’s top trade partners, with bilateral trade between the two neighbors valued at 12 billion dollars in 2011.