Pentagon widens own probe into Colombia scandal

A general view of the Hotel Caribe in Cartagena, Colombia, April 15, 2012. / Getty

(CBS/AP) WASHINGTON - The Pentagon says there may be more U.S. military members under investigation for alleged inappropriate behavior in Colombia than the five announced over the weekend.

Pentagon press secretary George Little said Monday that he could not provide a specific number, but that military members who are being investigated were assigned to support the U.S. Secret Service in preparation for President Barack Obama's visit to Cartagena. He said they were not directly involved in presidential security.

Issa: No Secret Service "pre-wheels up" parties
Obama: "I'll be angry" if Secret Service scandal is true

A defense official told CBS News correspondent David Martin that it looks like "more than 10" U.S. military personnel could be involved.

The Secret Service sent 11 of its agents home from Colombia amid allegations that they had hired prostitutes at a Cartagena hotel.

The U.S. Southern Command had announced on Saturday that five service members assigned to the presidential mission in Colombia had violated curfew and may have been involved in "inappropriate conduct."

A military source told CBS News the one of the five is an explosives ordnance disposal technician in the Air Force.

[rockychance]

Is the United States on it's last legs? Our government has spent us into oblivion and now we are told that billions are scammed from the taxpayers by false filings. Also, take a look at the GSA scandal that took place in Las Vegas. Our government is not in control of the people who work for them anymore and crooks are everywhere while the innocent Americans are the true victims. We need to go to Washington and fire everyone there and start the darn thing over again with some honest people with common sense.

[oldman67]

The Pentagon couldn't even tell us what happened to the $2.3 trillion reported missing by Donald Rumsfeld on Sept.10,2001. Their investigations don't seem to be very effective. I guess we should not blame them since the airliner crashed into the part of the Pentagon where those investigating the disappearance of this money were killed while sitting at their desk. Every civilian bookkeeper and accountant.Those in the Pentagon could not have know this would happen.

[alterpath5]

What a bunch of clueless jackasses. They are damn lucky they weren't arrested by the Colombian National Police, and thrown into a very unpleasant jail. Its time to revisit the whole question of who guards the President, if this is the level of professionalism coming out of the Secret Service.

[betty42254]

Obama just wants them all fired so he can bring in his own security..They are known as Black panthers not secret service...

[T-Fed]

Has O blamed it on Bush yet? I'm not sure it would be the fault of the ex-President Bush's vs. prostitute's bush....

[Bendech]

Another example of PENTAGON employees wasting taxpayer dollars.
Let's cut the Defense budget by 50% and get rid of a lot of these wasted "military personnel" living it up in taxpayer time

[JustSayIt]

Bendech, I am sure that the secret service did not expense their shenanigans to their employer. On top of that, the President and his cabinet got into Colombia, conducted business, got out, and all were safe. The secret service did their job. I am not condoning what they did, but their job got done.

[retm-w]

The Secret Service are not pentegon emloyee's for one and the military personell room and meals are paid for by the DOD and they are only allowed so much per day for meals. Anything above and beyond room and meals comes out of their own pocket.

[JackLeanII]

What exactly do American military personnel do when they aren't
writing treasonous newsletters complaining about their black commander-in-chief, killing innocent Iraqi women and children, killing Afghani men and cutting off their ears for prizes or cavorting with hookers?

Just wondering...

[Bean-Eater22]

You aren't much the patriot, are you?

[US-Patriot]

They are usually protecting your ungrateful a$$.

[DLC312]

SO what else is NEW in Our Highly rated Government. The bigger the boy, they must always play with their toys.

[supermousez]

I love how the media and the government jumps on anything to get the public's mind off our current mess. These were adults and there was a business dispute. Our current government needs to pay attention to the problems that really matter and drop this ASAP. Start drilling, stop trying to tax our way out of trouble and start cutting the crap.

[billionstars55]

Investigator, "So the problem arose M'am when the agent demanded a volume discount since he wanted to buy 13 uh, what did you call those things?"

"Ok. And then one of the older guys showed you an AARP card and you just told him you weren't honoring those. Is that correct?"