The director of the Secret Service on Wednesday told senators he was “dumbfounded” when he discovered agents had invited prostitutes back to their hotel rooms while preparing for President Obama’s visit to Colombia.
Mark Sullivan, the head of the president’s protective service, said the incident was an isolated event and not an indication of bigger problems at the Secret Service.
“I do not think this is indicative of the overwhelming majority of our men and women,” Sullivan said before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
“I just think that between the alcohol and the environment these individuals did some really dumb things. And I just can’t explain why they would have done what they do. But I will tell you that I do not believe they would have done it because they believe this type of behavior would have been tolerated.
“When I was first apprised of this situation I was dumbfounded,” Sullivan said.
Read more on Sullivan's Senate testimony, his first public appearance since the scandal erupted.
