Story highlights
- 3 Secret Service agents are disciplined over an incident in the Dutch capital of Amsterdam
- They had been sent there to prepare for President Barack Obama's upcoming visit
- Official: One of them was found drunk in a hotel hallway
- The incident comes two years after a Secret Service prostitution scandal in Colombia
Three Secret Service agents were sent home after one of them was found passed out after a night of drinking in Amsterdam, an official familiar with the incident told CNN.
The agents were in the Netherlands as part of a contingent preparing for President Barack Obama's visit there this week.
According to the official, one Secret Service agent was found intoxicated and passed out in the hallway of his hotel. Hotel staff subsequently alerted U.S. authorities.
This agent and two other agents -- who were his companions on a night out drinking in the Dutch capital -- were disciplined by being sent home Sunday for not exercising better judgment.
Confirming that three agents went home for disciplinary reasons, Secret Service spokesman Edwin Donovan added an investigation is underway.
Photos: Obama's European tour
Photos: Obama's European tour
Obama's European tour – U.S. President Barack Obama tours the Colosseum in Rome on Thursday, March 27. Click through to see other photos from Obama's trip to Europe this week.
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Photos: Obama's European tour
Obama's European tour – President Obama meets Pope Francis at the Vatican on March 27.
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Photos: Obama's European tour
Obama's European tour – Obama is flanked by Belgium's King Philippe, right, and Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo as he delivers an address in Waregem, Belgium, on Wednesday, March 26.
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Photos: Obama's European tour
Obama's European tour – Obama, gesturing in the bottom left, joins other world leaders for a group photo on the last day of the Nuclear Security Summit in The Hague, Netherlands, on Tuesday, March 25. The summit was the primary reason for Obama's trip.
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Photos: Obama's European tour
Obama's European tour – Obama disembarks from Air Force One after arriving in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on Monday, March 24.
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Photos: Obama's European tour
Obama's European tour – A U.S. helicopter squadron transports Obama to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam on March 24.
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Obama's European tour – Obama and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte hold a news conference in front of Rembrandt's "The Night Watch" following meetings at the Rijksmuseum on March 24.
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Obama's European tour – Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping meet in The Hague, Netherlands, on March 24 ahead of the Nuclear Security Summit.
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Photos: Obama's European tour
Obama's European tour – Obama attends the opening session of the Nuclear Security Summit on March 24.
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Obama's European tour – Obama gathers with G7 world leaders in The Hague on March 24.
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The story was first reported by The Washington Post.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said Wednesday that Obama had been briefed on the incident.
"Generally, the President believes, as he has said in the past, that everybody representing the United States of America overseas needs to hold himself or herself to the highest standards and he supports(Secret Service Director Julia Pierson's) zero-tolerance approach on these matters," Carney said.
The agents are blamed for not doing more to prevent another embarrassment for the 150-year-old agency, whose mission includes investigating crimes such as counterfeiting and credit card fraud in addition to protecting top U.S. figures, including presidents.
One of the biggest, most recent black eyes came nearly two years ago and also involved an advance team ahead of an Obama visit to Colombia for the Summit of the Americas.
In that case, Secret Service agents hit the clubs of Cartagena for a night of drinking that ended with bringing prostitutes back to their hotel.
The agency immediately pulled 11 agents allegedly involved in the scandal from Obama's security detail, put them on administrative leave and removed their security clearances. In addition, 12 military personnel also were cited for their role.
Several government reports later examined the incident, looking into not just what happened but how the Secret Service handled the matter.
The agency has instituted tougher disciplinary rules in the wake of the Cartagena scandal.
