Biden security officials sent home after incident in South Korea
In a statement, the Secret Service said an incident occurred while employees were not on duty that “may constitute potential policy violation.” The employees have been put on administrative leave, according to the statement from the agency’s chief spokesman, Anthony Guglielmi.
“We have strict protocols and policies for all our employees, and we hold ourselves to the highest professional standards,” the statement said, adding that there has been no impact on Biden’s trip.
The official familiar with the incident said the employees involved are an agent and a tactical security specialist. Both are sworn law enforcement officers with badges and firearms, and they arrived in Seoul ahead of Biden to coordinate with his protective detail.
Biden’s five-day trip this week involves a visit to South Korea, where he landed late Thursday, followed by a stay in Japan.
The two Secret Service employees had gone out to a dinner with a larger group and then went barhopping afterward before returning to their hotel in a taxi, the official said. One of the employees went to his room; the other, the official said, got into an argument with the taxi driver and two Korean citizens who apparently were trying to enter the vehicle. The precise nature of the dispute could not be learned.
Hotel security officers then got involved, and police were summoned to an investigate a possible assault, the official said. The Secret Service officer was allowed to return to his room, the official said, and was questioned by local police later that morning.
The official said no one involved in the incident was detained, arrested or criminally charged, despite earlier reports to the contrary in the South Korean military. The officers were sent back to the U.S., departing South Korea two hours before Biden arrived.