WASHINGTON – Secret Service agents involved in prying into and leaking information from an old personnel file of a top GOP congressman face discipline for improperly accessing what are private agency records, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson announced late Thursday.
Johnson said in a statement that he was “appalled by the episode” as he announced that 41 agents will receive reprimands, suspensions without pay or a lesser punishment that suspends discipline as long as the employee doesn’t get in more trouble.
Johnson said he reviewed the actions of a total of 57 Secret Service employees, including 11 senior officials, during an investigation of the improper access to the records of Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah.
Chaffetz, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, led a probe into high-profile security breaches and other missteps by the agency charged with protecting the president. Secret Service employees last year accessed confidential files as Chaffetz was holding hearings on the problems that contained an old application he made to be hired as an agent that was rejected.
“This should have never happened and should not happen again,” Chaffetz said in a brief statement Friday.
A report on the improper access released last fall by the Homeland Security inspector general’s office said Chaffetz’s file, contained in a restricted database, had been looked at by about 45 Secret Service agents, some of whom shared it with their colleagues. This prying began after a contentious House hearing at which Chaffetz scolded the Secret Service director and the agency for a series of security gaffes and misconduct. The hearing angered many employees.
The watchdog singled out assistant director Edward Lowery, who had urged that unflattering information the agency had in its files about a congressman critical of the service should be made public.
“Some information that he might find embarrassing needs to get out,” Lowery wrote in an e-mail to a fellow director, commenting on an internal file that was being widely circulated inside the service. “Just to be fair.”
DHS officials said Friday that one employee received a letter of reprimand; 11 received one-day suspensions, four employees received suspensions of two days; eight got three-days; 11 got four days, one got five days, three got six days; one got seven days, one twelve days and one 45 days.
The agency declined to say whether any of those disciplined were high-ranking officials. DHS officials said that “a number of” the employees were allowed to have their punishment suspended, provided they have no further problems for five years. But the officials declined to say how many received suspended punishment.
(c) 2016, The Washington Post ยท Lisa Rein
