WASHINGTON — The US Secret Service has expanded its prostitution scandal investigation to include an incident in El Salvador in 2011 in which agents allegedly visited a strip club and may have paid for sex with prostitutes, the agency told lawmakers Thursday.
The allegation, which the Secret Service has not confirmed, could challenge the agency’s contention that a recent scandal centered in Cartagena, Colombia, was an aberration.
Twelve employees were pulled from duty following allegations that some brought back prostitutes to their hotel rooms days before President Barack Obama arrived for a diplomatic summit.
On Thursday, the agency sent a memo to members of Congress investigating the Colombia incidents saying it was also looking into the allegation that agents were involved in similar activity in El Salvador before a visit by Obama.
The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday on an alleged 2000 incident involving agents and White House advance staff, who visited a nightclub in Moscow known for raucous parties, according to two people familiar with the matter.
The club was known for featuring performances by strippers and patrons, some of whom performed sex acts in the open.
The visits to the now-closed nightclub called the Hungry Duck occurred while the agents and staff were in Moscow to prepare for a state visit by President Bill Clinton, according to the people familiar with the matter. A spokesman for Clinton declined to comment.
Seattle television station KIRO first reported the alleged El Salvador incident. The report quoted a government contractor who said he was with the Secret Service and military men who were in the country to prepare for the president’s visit.
The contractor said some men took prostitutes back to their hotel rooms and some paid for sex from strippers in VIP sections of the Salvadoran strip club.
Ed Donovan, a Secret Service spokesman, said Thursday, “The recent investigation in Cartagena has generated several news stories that contain allegations by mostly unnamed sources. Any information brought to our attention that can be assessed as credible will be followed up on in an appropriate manner.”
On Wednesday, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told a Senate committee hearing that an internal investigation so far had turned up no other reported incidents similar to the one in Cartagena in the past two-and-a-half years.
“I think part of our investigation is confirming that this was an aberration,” Napolitano said.