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Washington • Utah's Rep. Chris Stewart on Tuesday decried the culture of the Secret Service that has led to a series of scandals and suggested rogue agents should be shipped off to the farthest-flung place possible.
"You may not be able to fire them, but you should assign them to the furthest tip of the Aleutian Islands, in my opinion, because they have lost your trust and the trust of the American people, and they have shown loyalty to their friends and co-workers, rather than loyalty to their responsibilities," the Utah Republican said during a House Appropriations Committee hearing on the Secret Service's budget request. "And I don't know how you say it any differently than that."
The agency, which protects current and former presidents and top government officials, has faced a spate of controversies, including news last week that two senior agents allegedly drove drunk into a White House barricade — nearly hitting a suspicious package — after partying at a bar.
Stewart, a former Air Force major, said in that the military anyone from young airmen to generals would be dismissed if caught driving under the influence on base and that a culture like that shouldn't be tolerated.
Joe Clancy, the acting director of the Secret Service who took over after an earlier round of scandals, acknowledged during the hearing that he wasn't told of the March 4 incident and learned of it through an anonymous tip two days later. He said he heard the agents were "inebriated," and they have since been moved to "nonsupervisory positions."
"Part of this, again, goes to a culture of trust," Clancy told the committee. "... And I've got to work to earn that trust, and I'm going to do that through my actions."
Stewart pounced on that comment. "I understand what you're trying to do. I really do. But when you say, 'I have to set the example, I have to earn their trust' — dude, you don't have to earn their trust. You're their boss."
Clancy, who took tough questioning and criticism from both sides of the aisle Tuesday, said he agreed the culture needed to change but "I cannot do this on day one."
"I am frustrated that the agency is taking this hit, and rightfully so," Clancy said. "But I have to allow this due process to take place and then that'll be our first test and our first indication of, are we serious about holding people accountable."
Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., said it shouldn't take much to fix the agency.
"I would think it would take five minutes to change the culture," she said. "Before you even know the facts, you can say, 'Based on the allegations, if, in fact, you are not aware that this kind of activity is inappropriate for a member of the Secret Service, you better get it now and go find another job.' "
Meanwhile, Rep. Jason Chaffetz, a Utah Republican and chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, met privately with Clancy and the ranking member of the panel, Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md. The two leaders of the Oversight Committee said last week that they were unnerved by the most recent allegations against the Secret Service.
"Although recent steps have been made to bring new leadership in at the highest levels, this incident begs the question of whether that is enough," Chaffetz and Cummings said in a joint statement. "The fact that this event involved senior-level agents is not only embarrassing but exhibits a clear lack of judgment in a potentially dangerous situation."