Ex-Secret Service director on scandal: "This is an aberration"

(CBS News) In the midst of a widening Secret Service scandal, a former director of the agency said on "Face the Nation" that the charges against agents for actions in Colombia last week were an "aberration," and that incidents like this for which agents have been fired did not happen when he was head of the agency.

Ralph Basham spent 31 years in the Secret Service, and was director from 2003 to 2006 - immediately prior to current Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan.

"Face the Nation" anchor Bob Schieffer asked Basham whether as Director he ever faced problems at the agency similar to those reported last week, when several Secret Service agents allegedly brought prostitutes back to their hotel rooms in Cartagena prior to a summit attended by President Obama.

"Absolutely not... this is an aberration," Basham said. "This is not the character of the men and women who serve every day in the Secret Service. And, obviously, this is a huge story. It's a huge issue, because this sort of thing does not happen in the Secret Service."

In the past week, six agents have been removed from the Secret Service, and six more are on administrative leave as the investigation continues.

Basham said that incidents like the Colombia scandal were not commonplace while he was the agency head. "I don't believe in the past these types of things have happened. They certainly didn't happen on my watch, and I spent over three decades in this organization. And I can tell you this is not what that organization is like."

"But you had supervisors involved here, these weren't rookies," Schieffer said. "who obviously got to be supervisors - some of that time they must have in the service [when] you were the director. You're saying there was never any indication of anything like this when you were there?"

"Well, Bob, that's not to say that we did not have situations where agents, officers got themselves into inappropriate situations and had to be brought back, and in some cases the discipline went all the way to removing them from the service. But to this magnitude, absolutely not."

"How many agents were removed for things like this while you were there?" Schieffer asked.

"I can't recall one instance where the action went to the point of removing an agent from duty," Basham replied. "There were agents who were disciplined - you know, given time off, that sort of thing - but I can't recall one actually being removed."

The former director also praised his successor in the interview, saying Sullivan "took immediate and decisive action" to remove the agents from Cartagena. And he looked toward the future of the agency, saying "they'll get through this."

"Certainly, this incident is an extremely embarrassing incident, but it is an incident. And I believe if you look back at the history of the Secret Service, you've got to recognize that this is not characteristic of the organization," Basham said. "They'll get through this. They'll learn from this. And they'll move on to the important business... of protecting this nation's leaders."

[bill choate]

It may be the exception, not the rule, but can the three who only knew about it be trusted in the future
to report such potential compromise of security, their ultimate purpose, or to train their replacements?
in the 1950s, Geology camp. The course director and Department head went to town to take a call to
one of the students. He found him with the others in a bar, but he would not go in, only pecking on the
window to motion the boy to come outside. The other students made fun of the professor behind his back.
But for me, a valuable lesson later as a JAG for the Code, "Avoid the very appearance of impropriety".

[scrivener50]

This comment appeared to post earlier today... but was AWOL when I returned to this page. So I re-post:


The Secret Service prostitution scandal deflects attention from an even more troubling concern over presidential security. Both President Obama and Vice President Biden exhibit symptoms that appear to be consistent with silent, invisible electromagnetic weapon attack: POTUS' profusion of facial moles, gaunt appearance, weight loss; VPOTUS' public sudden sleep spells, likely preceded and followed by severe ear-ringing and vertigo. A court filing several years ago documented that the U.S. Secret Service is utilizing electromagnetic weaponry, as are other agencies and commands. Is it possible that an electromagnetic weapon system has been turned against our nation's top leaders? The reporter who first exposed the U.S. government's nationwide cell tower based "multifunctional radio frequency directed energy weapon system" (U.S. Patent 7629918, Raytheon) says yes, and asks whether U.S. government officials are investigating possible criminal misuse of radio frequency radiation weapony:
http://viclivingston.blogspot.com/2011/12/u.html

[fraccle]

It's the jiggy atmosphere. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIduOvEoVeQ

[STEVENROHAN]

This aberration reflects poorly on Obama's capabilities as Commander in Chief.

As a leader you ALWAYS review current policy in play, have right hand men to advise you as to irregularities that may need to be sifted. That irregularity should have been flagged back in Solahi party crasher days.

It should have been explicitly highlighted his trips, that Obamas security team is dangerously engaging in behavior that is classically used to set a trap. You all familiar with a "Honey Trap" is? Its a tactic used for thousands of years.

So basically, in order to compromise the security team, all you have to do is female agents to walk the streets and they are in? WOW! The level of incompetence within the administration of the Secret Service at its core is beyo9nd an aberration, it is beyond an embarrassment, it is an actual threat to national security.

The agents who readily partake in traps set to gain leverage in security details are committing acts incompatible with the mission of the agency, to protect the President, by compromising the mission. That there are no policies in place which have a ZERO tolerance policy for anything that jeopardizes the mission is beyond comprehensible. This is a 150 year old agency charged with protecting the president of the united states, not some Agents Gone Wild party, not an excuse to party. The agency must be pruned to the core. This is not just a few rotten apples. It is the core administration at fault. The agency needs to be plucked and pruned to its core, cleansed of a culture that tolerates and celebrates actions incompatible and which run contrary to the mission of the organization. You boys familiar with the traditional use of "Honey Trap"? There is a brilliant write up on it in Foreign Policy.

It is beyond belief that a 150 year old agency is partaking in behavior that jeopardizes its core mission objectives.

President Obama, ultimately, as commander in chief you are in charge of reviewing policies. You are in charge of changing policies. You have been hired to do a job. Get competent. Your embarrassing yourself and us the American public by failing to dot your i's and cross your t's when we have entrusted you to do so. Get it in gear man.

[STEVENROHAN]

Effective immediately, Any Agent assigned with the duty of protecting the President, while on security before during or after, will be subject to immediate termination for posing as a grave security risk to the President of the United States. A ZERO Tolerance policy! Thats how you protect the President of the United States!!

[IAmSigmonde]

I suppose there will be a tell all book soon from a SS insider, telling all of how this administration and it's lack of management and leadership qualities has led to this type of fast and curious behavior..

[cbs_bull]

It's hard for me to believe Ralph Basham. I think he should just shut up and thank those who didn't get caught when he was the director. Or he was simply too incompetent to know what's going on under him. No way what happened in Cartagena is just an isolated incident.

[loveoflife]

I find it the saying among Secret Service agents '"WHEELS UP, RINGS OFF". I hope their WIVES know that.

I guess you guys do not care if you get a disease & give it to your wife? Strange.

I know Sloughfoot's comments, about Secret Service are true,these guys played around during Mr Basham's 4 years, if he thinks he is fooling anybody, he better think twice.

It is to bad that President Obama does not Fire all of you and start with a clean slate. I think that would be a Wise Move.

[DebbieCorona]

I find it curious that Ralph Basham spent 31 years in the Secret Service, and was director from 2003 to 2006 - immediately prior to current Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan claims that nothing happened under him. Maybe the USSS just never got caught.

[themanfrombrum]

Can you really truly expect SS agents to faithfully protect the President when they're rootin' n tootin' in bed? After this scandal I don't believe so.

[random_radar]

Of course its an aberration--Secret Service agents normally pay their prostitutes.