Two Secret Service agents are being investigated for alleged drunk driving after they crashed into White House security barricades, the latest set of woes to hit the embattled Secret Service.
The incident occurred March 4 at around 10:30 p.m. while an investigation into a suspicious package was underway at the White House, unnamed agency officials told The Washington Post.
Senior agents Mark Connolly and George Ogilvie were returning from a retirement party and showed their badges in an attempt to pass through a section of the White House grounds that was barricaded during the investigation.
Witnesses said their government vehicle, which had its overhead flashing lights on, drove through security tape and crashed into the barricades, an agency official told The Post.
Police officers at the scene attempted to arrest the agents but were ordered not to do so by a supervisor. The two agents were allowed to go home, officials told the newspaper.
The Department of Homeland Security is now conducting an investigation into the employees, as requested by newly appointed Secret Service Director Joseph P. Clancy, in part because Connolly and Ogilvie are senior officials. Connolly is a member of President Barack Obama's protective detail.
Brian Leary, a spokesman for the agency, told The Post they are "aware of the allegations of misconduct involving two of our employees," but did not specify the nature of the inquiry.
"If misconduct is identified, appropriate action will be taken based on established rules and regulations," Leary said.
The Secret Service has seen a series of embarrassing setbacks in recent months, most notably a run of security breaches involving intruders at the White House.
In October, a man posing as New Jersey Representative Donald Payne Jr. entered a secured backstage area at an event Obama spoke at in Washington.
Former Secret Service Director Julia Pierson also resigned that month.
Connolly and Ogilvie, who declined to comment, have since been moved to "non supervisory, non-operational assignments," agency officials told the newspaper.
