Fox News reports that the office of the Inspector General for the Department of Homeland Security has concluded that Secret Service director Mark Sullivan, a 28-year veteran of the agency, lied to Congress over the Colombian hooker scandal. The Secret Service is not supposed to have Colombian hooker scandals, let alone commit perjury over them.
"The report indicates Sullivan may have obstructed Congress by lying about the criminal associations of prostitutes involved in the scandal," says Fox News. "The report also alleges Sullivan may have manipulated a report requested by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, the sources said."
Since the investigation is ongoing, many of the details remain confidential. Sullivan's lawyer denied the allegations. A spokesman for the Secret Service said that Sullivan and the agency "have conducted a fair and thorough investigation resulting from the Cartagena incident. The agency response to those with oversight responsibility has been timely and truthful."
The charges seem to revolve around Sullivan's assurances to Congress that none of the Colombian prostitutes had any disturbing criminal or espionage connections. However, sources told Fox News that at least one of the prostitutes turned up in a CIA database, and Sullivan knew it when he delivered his congressional testimony. The "confirmed hit" appears to have been a connection to a drug cartel money laundering operation.
There have also been allegations that Sullivan "conspired with his top deputies to manipulate, falsify or edit records to downplay past problems in a report compiled for the Senate Homeland Security Committee," and possibly some other internal investigations.
