LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:
As the Summit of the Americas gets under way today, there is one embarrassing incident which threatens to distract from international efforts to focus on trade and the economy. Twelve U.S. Secret Service agents have already been sent home for alleged misconduct involving prostitutes in Cartagena. The agents have been replaced and the Secret Service says its security plans at the summit has not been compromised.
The alleged incident happened before President Obama arrived in Colombia and was first reported in the Washington Post by former Post journalist Ronald Kessler. An agency spokesman said that the investigation would now be turned over to the Office of Professional Responsibility, which serves as the internal affairs unit for the Secret Service. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.