Secret Service Scandal
Articles Used: http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/04/17/11251326-nbc-prostitutes-50-fee-for-two-agents-triggered-secret-service-scandal?lite
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/04/15/congress-to-probe-secret-service-prostitution-scandal/
A financial dispute between a Columbian prostitute and two United States Secret Service Agents has triggered the beginning of a scandal. The secret service was there in preparation for President Obama’s arrival for a weekend visit to the Summit of the Americas. The two agents who started the controversy and the others involved are said to have gone to the club on April 11th and brought these women back to the hotel. Since they have to check guests in for a $25 fee, the Embassy noted that there were 11 men who brought 11 women back. While prostitution is legal in certain parts of Columbia, it is a breach in the agency’s conduct code. When the Embassy notified officials, they were immediately flown home and stripped of their security clearances.
Since the agents knew the President’s minute-to-minute schedule, this is was a huge safety breach. Right now the investigation is going on interviewing the prostitutes to see if they are underage, involved with drug trafficking, or terrorist groups. Also, it is said that ten American servicemen are under investigation for their involvement in this case.
Some statements President Obama said on Sunday when leaving Columbia: "We're here on behalf of our people and that means that we conduct ourselves with the utmost dignity and probity. And obviously what's been reported doesn't match up with those standards," He expects the investigation to be “thorough and rigorous” and “will be angry” if the allegations turn out to be true.
In the second article I posted, it seems that the White House is defending the Secret Service with Presidential Spokesman, Jay Carney stating: "The work the Secret Service does the men and women who protect him and his family and those who work with him, is exemplary as a rule," Carney said. "They put their lives on the line, and it is a very difficult job, and he acknowledges that and he appreciates it."
1. Do you believe this scandal is more than just an embarrassment to the White House and Secret Service? Is it an embarrassment to our nation?
2. Do you find it hard to follow how Obama feels about the situation with one article saying that he will be "angry" and then another saying that his spokesperson is standing up for the Secret Service?
3. Do you feel that this situatin is being handled appropriately from a PR standpoint?
4. How do you feel about the fact that this controversy could just be the beginning of revelations about other problems the Secret Service could be having?
Do you believe this scandal is more than just an embarrassment to the White House and Secret Service? Is it an embarrassment to our nation?
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, this is a complete embarressment to our country. The individuals in the Secret Service are considered leaders of our country and our community. It is completely ridiculous that this is going on behind the scenes. Not only is it against policy it is unethical in a sense. On the other side of things, this can not be seen as an embarrassment to our nation because our nation is a nation of second chances. Everyone gets another chance to make it right in our society. This can be seen with the Bill Clinton scandal, Michael Vick case in point, and Martha Stewart.
I don't find it hard to follow Obama's thoughts because he is the one that is being protected by the Secret Service. If the people that are supposed to be protecting him and know his every move are violating policy and essentially slacking on their jobs he is going to feel a different type of way. The spokesperson for the Secret Service is downplaying the situation, but the truth will eventually come out.
I feel as if the situation is being controlled right not before a thorough investigation is done. From a PR standpoint there is only so much that can be done. You want to maintain control of the situation but there is so much unknown, and because there were multiple people involved it brings upon a harder task to ignore it. The Secret Service is an organization that is based on responsibility so if this scandal is true they should just take responsibility for their actions and move forward.
I believe this is just the beginnning. I am always unsure of what is going on in the government and I never really believe what anyone says so it doesn't surprise me that this information is coming out. I believe that their is so much more going on that is not being said. I also believe that this is not the first time this has happened. Since their were so many people involved I believe that this an ongoing thing that has been happening but someone slipped up and let the cat out the bag
1. Do you believe this scandal is more than just an embarrassment to the White House and Secret Service? Is it an embarrassment to our nation?
ReplyDeleteYeah- this make the people who are suppose to be protecting our higher ups lookeasily broken through the use of sexuality. What these people do on their free time is their business, but when you are working especially for the President of the United States, you need to be free of any distractions. These men are here to protect the President, they should not be behaving like frat guys. It cripples the strength and seriousness of those we have protecting the highest symbol of this nation.
2. Do you find it hard to follow how Obama feels about the situation with one article saying that he will be "angry" and then another saying that his spokesperson is standing up for the Secret Service?
Well this directly affects Obama, as a person he is probably angry because these are people he trusted with his life, as the President he needs to be diplomatic until the convictions are complete. Additionally the Secret Service is trying to restore faith not only in the President but the nation so they are going to have represent themselves differently than from Obama.
3. Do you feel that this situatin is being handled appropriately from a PR standpoint?
No this is turning into a media frenzy and its new information every day, plus the prostitutes are speaking to the press, so the secret service and well the government have no control over whats going on, not really exuding their strengths as the most powerful nation in the world.
4. How do you feel about the fact that this controversy could just be the beginning of revelations about other problems the Secret Service could be having?
Well seeing whats been going on for years in Washington and in terms of scandals, this is not surprising, the white house crashers got by them don't forget. Maybe Obama as the Chief needs to have a stronger hand and fire some people.
1. Do you believe this scandal is more than just an embarrassment to the White House and Secret Service? Is it an embarrassment to our nation?
ReplyDeleteI believe that the scandal is an embarrassment to the nation. Because they are the people that are making sure that president Obama is safe and they go do something like this. It doesn’t make us as a county look good as people.
2. Do you find it hard to follow how Obama feels about the situation with one article saying that he will be "angry" and then another saying that his spokesperson is standing up for the Secret Service?
I feel like he cant show is true feeling about the situation because he needs to stand up for the people that are working for him but also can have is own feelings about what happened. I don’t think we will even understand how he really feels. I am sure he is outraged but he will never show us that.
3. Do you feel that this situation is being handled appropriately from a PR standpoint?
It’s a touchy situation, I feel like the are handling it the right way. But I don’t really know what the right way is. I’m interested in seeing what happens down the road and what they keep doing about the situation.
4. How do you feel about the fact that this controversy could just be the beginning of revelations about other problems the Secret Service could be having?
I think it could defiantly open up some doors about what’s really going on in the secret service. But I feel like it will never become public because than it will cause a bigger problem, and I think us as American people are already embarrassed and by more information getting out people wont trust what the secret service is really doing for us on a day to day basis.
This is an embarassment to the nation not because of the prostitution, but because these are the kind of people who hold some of the most powerful positions in the country. It is extremely scary to me. It is honestly something that I choose to put into the back of my mind because I really don't want to think about who actually has control. Incidents like this prove why.
ReplyDeleteI don't feel that the mixed messages are Obama's fault. I feel that the confusion in what Obama actually said is a result of the media or even differing partisan views. Obama said whatever he did and if it gets skewed along the way then the messanger is to blame.
I think what is hard is that people want to know as much as they can about a situation like this. The truth is that we all fear for our safety. A situation like this does not help us to feel safe. There is only so much information, though, that the media is being allowed to. For that reason, they can present us with whatever they are presented with, but they certainly won't have all the answers to all the questions we now have.
Again, I don't like thinking about what goes on behind the scenes. I can't even tell you if I truly trust our government. I just prefer to not even think about it. When I do think about it, it terrifies me, if I am going to be honest.
1. Do you believe this scandal is more than just an embarrassment to the White House and Secret Service? Is it an embarrassment to our nation?
ReplyDeleteI believe that it is an embarrassment to the White House and Secret Service because that is their job. There should be no way that there should ever be a problem. These man and women are picked because they can be trusted and they know what they are doing. It does make our nation look bad, but there have been other things that have been worse.
2. Do you find it hard to follow how Obama feels about the situation with one article saying that he will be "angry" and then another saying that his spokesperson is standing up for the Secret Service?
From the mouth of Obama, he says that he is angry at the situation and other words are coming from a spokes person. The people need to listen and believe the person that it is coming from not just what people say and hope that people will listen.
3. Do you feel that this situatin is being handled appropriately from a PR standpoint?
The secret service messed up. They are paying for it. I do believe that they are handling it and they want to make sure they are keeping the president of the United States safe and out of harm’s way.
4. How do you feel about the fact that this controversy could just be the beginning of revelations about other problems the Secret Service could be having?
They made a mistake and I believe that they are going to make sure that there is not another mess up. They are going to be on high alert and all eyes are going be on them. One slight move and people might be think they are in plans to make things worse.
1. I believe that it is an embarrassment to the nation but not the biggest issue in this story. These people have an extremely intense and difficult job and they went to a country with different rules than the US and did something that was legal there but against the rules of their agency. I think that is the bigger issue here is the fact that they are Secret Service and they are tasked with protecting the President. I am more concerned with what they could have told the prostitutes than what they were doing with them. I am more concerned that they could have said something they shouldn’t have. The embarrassment will go away but the potential fallout of a breach could be disastrous.
ReplyDelete2. I don’t find it hard to follow because I would like to think that he is playing both sides a little bit. Obviously he will be angry if the accusations are true because that would embarrass the country but it will also mean that the agents were going against the rules of the agency and potentially threatening his life. On the other hand it shows that they do have a very difficult job and he wants to stand by those people who protect him to keep the faith rather than give the perception that he doesn’t trust them.
3. I feel like from the PR standpoint the White House needs to put out one statement to show where they stand not having one saying he will be angry and another saying he understands and having compassion for them. While I see it the way I just described and I’m sure I could be totally wrong others may see it as they are divided and don’t know how they feel about the situation or they may be trying to sweep it under the rug and avoid any further backlash. They need to get their story straight and stick by it.
4. I feel that if this is just the beginning then the Secret Service needs to get on top of the issues and fix itself. The Secret Service is responsible for the Presidents safety and with things like this coming up, they could be seen as incompetent and that could hurt the agency’s reputation. The Secret Service needs to handle whatever issues they may be having and get back to their job description. Their job is difficult I don’t think anyone will dispute that but they are also looked at to adhere to a higher standard and they need to act at that standard to be trusted.
1. Do you believe this scandal is more than just an embarrassment to the White House and Secret Service? Is it an embarrassment to our nation?
ReplyDeleteIt’s definitely an embarrassment to our nation. From the news reports it almost seemed as if it was a norm for secret service agents to be involved with prostitutes but as long as they didn’t bring them back to the rooms.
2. Do you find it hard to follow how Obama feels about the situation with one article saying that he will be "angry" and then another saying that his spokesperson is standing up for the Secret Service?
I find it to be extremely interesting that no one from the secret service that was involved in this scandal has stepped forward and admit what they had done was wrong. I understand the point of having a spokesperson to an extent but when they are making such a big deal about the president’s safety being jeopardized I’m surprised the President hasn’t come forward to make a statement.
3. Do you feel that this situation is being handled appropriately from a PR standpoint?
I’ve actually heard this story a numerous amount of times and even with these articles it doesn’t seem like the secret service’s PR is doing much of anything as of right now. But to be completely honest I’m really not surprised, I guarantee they are just waiting for this to blow over.
4. How do you feel about the fact that this controversy could just be the beginning of revelations about other problems the Secret Service could be having?
Again, I’m not surprised because with departments like the government, FBI, secret service; any department with a large amount of power definitely are involved in scandals but they get away with it.
I do believe this is an embarrassment to not only the staff members but our nation as well. Our secret service is supposed to be elite and be above the scandals. I am pretty upset to hear this can go on, there is certain positions in the country that need to set much higher standards then the rest and this is one of them.
ReplyDeleteIt can be very confusing with the mixed messages, but we cannot blame Obama for all of it. He can say one thing and then other people will take it the wrong way and mess with how it is portrayed to the public. Whoever is changing it up and causing the confusion should be the one to blame in this case.
I do, I believe that they are making the right moves and making it clear that the secret service messed up. They have to just continue along and make sure that they are putting the right people back on staff to protect the president.
I think it is a very serious issue, and it is scary to think about things like this. You don’t actually know what is going on behind scenes and hopefully this is just a coincidence and this won’t happen again. I want to feel safe and not have to be thinking about the security matters.
This scandal absolutely reaches farther than the White House and the Secret Service. These people are representatives of our country. The Secret Service is responsible for maintaining safety, and their behavior here obviously does not reflect that. To the outside, it seems like the United State put their trust in people who were not responsible and mature enough to handle it. It makes everyone look foolish.
ReplyDeleteI don't think its hard to follow how Obama feels on the situation. His reaction saying that he would be angry was on the last day of the trip. He was probably still processing the situation and fuming angry, and likely quite embarrassed. Overall, I'm certain that he trusts his Secret Service staff, otherwise they would not hold their positions. His reaction that he was angry was his own, while the statement about standing up for the Secret Service was likely from a PR person.
I do not believe that this situation is being handled appropriately from a PR standpoint. Even the articles on the issue seemed to not get the story straight. I think the best course of action would be for each department involved in this situation to make a formal statement at one press conference.
The way Allie stated her feelings reagarding what goes on in our government really resonated with me. When I think about who (really) controls our country, I feel quite uncomfortable. No matter what, the government controls everything we see and hear. I'm quite certain that there are many other things that occur behind the scenes within our government that would make me nauseated.
1. Do you believe this scandal is more than just an embarrassment to the White House and Secret Service? Is it an embarrassment to our nation?
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. This scandal makes it seem like Americans (in high security level positions)do not take their job seriously, and like to "party" instead of focusing on the task at hand. It seems that these Secret Service men treated this trip to Columbia as a "vacation", and should not be trusted on major business trips. I can only imagine how they are reporting this story in other countries...
2. Do you find it hard to follow how Obama feels about the situation with one article saying that he will be "angry" and then another saying that his spokesperson is standing up for the Secret Service?
No, not really-it's all damage control really. One spokesperson is simply trying to fight the fire, and protect the tarnished reputation of the secret service. Obama has a right to be both upset and angry. His safety and security were entirely put at risk. Columbia is also not an ideal country to have faulty security measures in place. It is important to try to save some names here, as not every single member of the Secret Service was involved. I think Obama was just a little more outspoken than the others, as it really direct affects him and the men he trusts with his life every day.
3. Do you feel that this situatin is being handled appropriately from a PR standpoint?
No, this is a PR mess. The interrogation process needs to be sped up to find out what really went on that evening. I think when there are some more clarified answers, the situation can be better handled. However, I would think that one consistent and official statement from the White House would be more effective than multiple heads talking.
4. How do you feel about the fact that this controversy could just be the beginning of revelations about other problems the Secret Service could be having?
I think it is a little too far of a stretch to make that assumption immediately based solely off of this specific incident. I would hope that our government and our nation's security continues to work well together to keep our country as a whole safe and free from harm. Perhaps it is time to reevaluate those in the Secret Service to insure that they still remain as the best candidates for the position. Also, all 11 men most definitely need to be terminated.
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ReplyDelete1. Do you believe this scandal is more than just an embarrassment to the White House and Secret Service? Is it an embarrassment to our nation?
ReplyDeleteYes, and it is without question an embarrassment to our nation. In addition to its treasury role of investigating major fraud, the Secret Service also has a protective role of ensuring that current and former national leaders are safe at all times. With that being said, this scandal has led Americans to believe that the Secret Service is comprised of government officials who are irresponsible and don't take the job seriously. Quite disturbing.
2. Do you find it hard to follow how Obama feels about the situation with one article saying that he will be "angry" and then another saying that his spokesperson is standing up for the Secret Service?
No. President Obama SHOULD be angry, as the Secret Service is responsible for not only his protection, but the nation's protection as well. However, his spokesperson was right to essentially "stand up" for the agency, because it is important that we do not allow the irresponsibility of these 11 members to tarnish our view of the Secret Service as a whole.
3. Do you feel that this situation is being handled appropriately from a PR standpoint?
Not particularly. The 11 Secret Service members involved in this scandal should be penalized if not terminated, and the White House or President Obama needs to issue a statement properly addressing the issue.
4. How do you feel about the fact that this controversy could just be the beginning of revelations about other problems the Secret Service could be having?
It is certainly discomforting. However, both the Secret Service and the White House needs to conduct a thorough investigation of this scandal and address it accordingly before further accusations are made.
1. Do you believe this scandal is more than just an embarrassment to the White House and Secret Service? Is it an embarrassment to our nation? I believe holding high positions in our nation comes with a certain aura of responsibility to maintain a classy gentlemanlike repoire. It is clear that these service members did not abide by this notion.
ReplyDelete2. Do you find it hard to follow how Obama feels about the situation with one article saying that he will be "angry" and then another saying that his spokesperson is standing up for the Secret Service? I believe in Public relations it is difficult to say the least to balance issues without offending one group. Obama taking both sides does show his equilibrium in the matter however he must also be a man who can make quick decisions without regret.
3. Do you feel that this situation is being handled appropriately from a PR standpoint? Owning up to a matter is always half the battle. Swaying popular opinion to benefit all parties often helps but comes with risk that must be mitigated. Obama did not choose to pick a side on the matter and this hinders decisive decision making power in our government
4. How do you feel about the fact that this controversy could just be the beginning of revelations about other problems the Secret Service could be having? I feel as though the nature of the job, although critically important, maintains a direct revelation of secrecy no matter what matter occur due to the utmost important factor, the safety of the PODUS