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Three secret agents charged with protecting US president Barack Obama have been disciplined amid allegations of drunkenness, it’s emerged.
They were sent home from Amsterdam – where Obama arrived on Monday for a week-long trip to Europe – confirmed US Secret Service spokesman Brian Leary.
The agents were disciplined after going out for a night of drinking, with one found drunk and passed out in a hotel hallway, reported the Washington Post.
None of the agents were supervisors, a Secret Service source told news agency Reuters.
The incident comes despite efforts by the agency to restore its straight-laced reputation after a scandal involving prostitutes in Cartagena, Colombia, in 2012.
A report by the US Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general released in December urged tougher management and disciplinary standards and recommended the service monitor and address excessive alcohol consumption and personal conduct within its workforce.
The IG also urged strengthening and clarifying policies for dealing with misconduct and disciplining employees.
The agency named a female director, Julia Pierson, in March 2013 after the Colombia events.