They were supposed to be preparing security for President Obama's arrival to the Netherlands. (Via The White House)
Three U.S. Secret Service agents are in hot water after a night of drinking in Amsterdam. (Via CNN)
According to The Washington Post, which broke the story, “One of the agents was found drunk and passed out in a hotel hallway.”
The Post also reported all three of the accused agents were members of the Secret Service Agency’s elite Counter Assault Team — the ones responsible for defending the president if he comes under attack. (Via Voice of America)
A spokesperson confirmed to Time the three agents were sent home for "disciplinary reasons." None were supervisors.
To be clear, Secret Service on official trips are not allowed to drink ten hours before reporting for duty. That rule was adopted in the wake of another embarrassing incident for the agency.
In 2012, a number of agents were dismissed for partying and hiring prostitutes during a presidential trip to Colombia. (Via ABC)
In an attempt to rebuild the agency's tarnished reputation, President Obama named veteran agent Julia Pierson as its new director — the first woman to ever head the 150-year-old agency. (Via U.S. Department of Homeland Security)
The three agents have been put on administration leave pending an investigation.
