Claims that Secret Service agents and military personnel hired prostitutes in Colombia are an embarrassment, the US military’s top officer has said, quoted by BBC. “We let the boss down,” US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Martin Dempsey told a Pentagon news conference.Secret Service and military staff have been questioned over allegations of misconduct on the eve of President Obama’s visit for a weekend summit. Eleven Secret Service agents have been suspended and sent home.A senior official told the BBC that at least 10 military service members were under investigation. A Pentagon spokesman said earlier there were more individuals involved than the five originally reported.Gen Dempsey said the military did not know exactly what had happened in the Colombian city of Cartagena, where President Barack Obama attended the Summit of the Americas over the weekend. “What we do know is that we distracted the issue from what was a very important regional engagement for our president,” he said. “So we let the boss down. Because nobody is talking about what went on in Colombia other than this incident.” “We are embarrassed,” Gen Dempsey added.On Sunday, the US president said that he expected a “rigorous” investigation. “If it turns out that some of the allegations that have been made in the press are confirmed, then of course I’ll be angry,” Mr Obama said.
