A Secret Service agent who had traveled to Israel ahead of President Joe Biden’s arrival in the country Wednesday was briefly detained and sent back to the U.S. following an alleged “physical encounter” with a woman.
Israeli police detained and questioned the agent before they released him without any charges, according to the Secret Service. The agent was then sent back to the U.S., and his access to Secret Service information was suspended.
“In accordance with agency protocol, his access to Secret Service systems and facilities was suspended pending further investigation,” a Secret Service spokesperson said, according to NBC News.
The alleged altercation occurred Monday night when multiple Secret Service personnel were returning to their hotel from dinner. A woman who got into an altercation with one of the employees claims she was physically assaulted, according to a person with knowledge of the incident, as NBC News reported.
Three sources told CBS News that a woman at a Jerusalem bar interacted with the Secret Service agent before the two got into an argument, and the agent shoved the woman. Even though the woman was reportedly not injured, she called Israeli police and reported the Secret Service employee.
“We hold all employees to the highest professional standards and you are seeing the results of our strong culture of accountability,” Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said.
Officials did not provide any more information on the incident other than assuring there was no sexual assault allegation.
In May, two Secret Service agents were sent home from South Korea just before Biden’s arrival after a booze-fueled incident that involved local police, The Daily Wire previously reported.
The employees, described by ABC News as an agent and an armed physical security specialist, went bar-hopping after dinner and the agent wound up in a confrontation with a taxi driver.
The agent involved in the argument with the taxi driver was slated to be interviewed by local police before returning to the U.S.
Greg Wilson contributed to this report.
Source: Dailywire
