Secret Service Agents Sent Home After Drunken Assault During Biden’s Asia Trip

Members of the Secret Service examine belongings removed from a vehicle that tried to drive into a restricted area near the White House, on Nov. 21, 2019. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Two United States Secret Service agents who were assigned to President Joe Biden’s trip to Asia are being sent back home after one of them was investigated in relation to an assault.

The agent was arrested in the early hours of Thursday in South Korea after he got into a fight with a local over a taxi, a police official from Yongsan district told Reuters. The incident took place outside the Grand Hyatt hotel where Biden was scheduled to stay as part of his five-day Asia trip that began on May 20.

An official from Washington disputed that the accused individual was arrested or detained, insisting that he was only “investigated” by Korean officials. The other agent who was involved in the dispute was not investigated.

The name of the agent investigated by local authorities is not known. According to South Korean broadcaster TV Chosun, which first reported the incident, the person was arrested after a fellow guest at the hotel called the police. The agent is said to be in his thirties.

“The Secret Service is aware of an off-duty incident involving two employees which may constitute potential policy violations,“ Anthony Guglielmi, Chief of Communications at the United States Secret Service, said to The Epoch Times. ”The individuals will be immediately returned back to their post of duty and placed on administrative leave. There was no impact to the upcoming trip.”

The Secret Service has “very strict protocols and policies” for all of its employees, he added, saying that it holds itself to the “highest professional standards.” Since the issue is an active administrative personnel matter, Guglielmi refused to comment further on the matter.

The U.S. Secret Service is tasked with protecting the White House and the president. It’s not the first time members have been involved in public disputes.

During the Obama administration, agents were sent home in 2012 after they got into argument with a prostitute in Cartagena, Columbia. In 2014, agents assigned on a presidential trip to Amsterdam were sent home after getting drunk in the Netherlands capital.

In 2017, an agent who was part of the security detail assigned to then-Vice President Mike Pence was suspended from duty after allegedly meeting with a prostitute at a hotel in Maryland.

On Biden’s Asia trip, U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan warned during a press briefing on May 18 about potential nuclear tests conducted by North Korea.

“We’ve indicated in quite clear terms that our intelligence does reflect the genuine possibility that there will be either a further missile tests (sic)—including a long-range missile test or a nuclear test or, frankly, both—in the days leading into, on, or after the President’s trip to the region,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan added that they are coordinating with both Japan and Korea on the issue. He has also spoken with his Chinese counterpart on the matter.

During his five-day trip, Biden will be visiting South Korea and Japan as part of Washington’s efforts to strengthen alliances in the region amidst the conflict in Ukraine. He will also take part in the Quad Summit scheduled for May 24.