Secret Service’s new head seeks ‘culture of trust’

WASHINGTON – The new head of the Secret Service admitted to Congress Tuesday that he didn’t learn until days later that two senior agents were supposedly drunk when they drove into a barrier at the White House – and only then from an anonymous email.

Joseph Clancy has only been the permanent director since mid-February and was making his first official appearance on Capitol Hill when he became the third consecutive Secret Service director to try to explain to lawmakers an embarrassing alcohol-related incident involving his agency.

Responding to angry members of a House Appropriations subcommittee, Clancy said he was frustrated that it took five days for him to learn about the March 4 incident, when two agents were accused of being drunk when they drove a government vehicle into a barrier at the White House complex.

“I think part of this … goes to a culture of trust,” Clancy said. “Do you have the trust in your leadership that you can bring this to leadership’s attention? And I’ve got to work to earn that trust, and I’m going to do that through my actions.”

Lawmakers objected to his response, saying it should have already been clear to agency employees that such behavior wouldn’t be tolerated.

Clancy agreed with much of the criticism, but said he had to wait for a Homeland Security Department inspector general’s investigation to be completed before he could take action beyond reassigning the two agents to nonsupervisory desk jobs outside the White House. “I don’t have the authority to dismiss them on the spot,” Clancy said, adding that he wanted to ensure due process for the agents. “I cannot terminate people this afternoon.”