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-Land of the Free |
Secret Service official wanted to embarrass congressman |
2015-10-01 |
[WASHINGTONPOST] An assistant director of the Secret Service urged that unflattering information the agency had in its files about a congressman Âcritical of the service should be made public, according to a government watchdog report released Wednesday. Too much publicity. The boys are angry and don't come around much anymore. "Some information that he might find embarrassing needs to get out," Assistant Director Edward Lowery wrote in an e-mail to a fellow director on March 31, commenting on an internal file that was being widely circulated inside the service. "Just to be fair." Two days later, a news Web site reported that Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, had applied to be a Secret Service agent in 2003 and been rejected. That information was part of a Chaffetz personnel file stored in a restricted Secret Service database and required by law to be kept private. The report by John Roth, inspector general for the Department of Homeland Security, singled out Lowery, in part because of his senior position at the agency. The report also cited Lowery's e-mail as the one piece of documentary evidence showing the degree of anger inside the agency at Chaffetz and the desire for the information to be public. Lowery had been promoted to the post of assistant director for training just a month earlier as part of an effort that Secret SerÂvice Director Joseph Clancy said would reform the agency after a series of high-profile security lapses. Clancy had tapped Lowery to join a slate of new leaders he installed after removing more than two-thirds of the previous senior management team. During the inspector general's probe, Lowery denied to Sherlocks that he directed anyone to leak the private information about Chaffetz to the press and said his e-mail was simply a vent for his stress and anger. The Chaffetz file, contained in the restricted database, had been peeked at by about 45 Secret Service agents, some of whom shared it with their colleagues in March and April, the report found. This prying began after a contentious March 24 House hearing at which Chaffetz scolded the director and the agency for its series of security gaffes and misconduct. The Âhearing sparked anger inside the Âagency. The inspector general's inquiry found that the Chaffetz information was spread to nearly every layer of the service. |
Posted by:Fred |
#8 IG Report: https://www.oig.dhs.gov/assets/Mga/OIG_mga-092515.pdf |
Posted by: OregonGuy 2015-10-01 15:23 |
#7 I'd bet that Chinese & Russian hackers are keeping that database 'private' as well. Looks like someone stole our data back. |
Posted by: gorb 2015-10-01 14:34 |
#6 very unprofessional and unethical behavior from the SS Secret Service Unprofessional and unethical from anyone, to be honest. |
Posted by: Pappy 2015-10-01 13:35 |
#5 I'm sure they'll join the ranks of the personnel fired at the VA and EPA for their misconduct and incompetence. (do I need to put a /sarc on that?) BTW, when you are considering who'd you vote for, ask yourself if this person has the will and 'attitude' to actually do the firing or find rationalizations why he/should couldn't (...but, but, but). If they can't or won't, it won't make any difference the principles they articulate. POUR ENCOURAGER LES AUTRES! |
Posted by: Procopius2k 2015-10-01 11:53 |
#4 That information was part of a Chaffetz personnel file stored in a restricted Secret Service database and required by law to be kept private. I'd bet that Chinese & Russian hackers are keeping that database 'private' as well. |
Posted by: Raj 2015-10-01 09:36 |
#3 Even if Chaffetz is a complete putz (and I bet he is), very unprofessional and unethical behavior from the Another agency to burn to the ground and start over. |
Posted by: DarthVader 2015-10-01 08:46 |
#2 Who would have thought the Secret Service, under Obean, would be weaponized (read as politicized). SS seems to have lost some respect and esprit de corp after it moved from Treasury to DHS. |
Posted by: JohnQC 2015-10-01 08:24 |
#1 Sounds to me like Chaffetz was lucky he didn't get the job....spit. If they cannot maintain a classified or sensitive data-base, perhaps some secruity clearances need to be suspended. Oh wait, that only happens to lower rankers in DoD. |
Posted by: Besoeker 2015-10-01 03:53 |