By Kristen Welker and Alexander Smith, NBC News
A year after a prostitution scandal rocked the Secret Service, the agency is dealing with a new embarrassment after a senior supervisor was removed from his position for trying to retrieve a bullet he left in a woman's hotel room, a source told NBC News.
Ignacio Zamora oversaw two dozen agents in the president's security detail before the incident Washington's luxury Hay-Adams Hotel in May, according to the Washington Post.
An investigation into Zamora's conduct at the hotel revealed that he and another supervisor, Timothy Barraclough, had sent "sexually aggressive" emails to a female subordinate, the newspaper reported.
NBC News could not immediately confirm the allegations about Barraclough, who reportedly was also moved to another detail.
The agents did not return calls and the Secret Service had no comment, although a spokesman told the Post: "Periodically we have isolated incidents of misconduct, just like every organization does...we work diligently with our Office of Professional Responsibility and Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General" to resolve such cases "appropriately and quickly."
Rep. Mike McCaul, chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, told NBC News that a congressional review was under way.
"Recent reports of inappropriate behavior within the Secret Service are unacceptable and the committee is looking into the matter," he said.
"Allegations of misconduct on the part of those tasked with protecting the nation's highest officials are extremely concerning. The integrity of those looking after our First Family must be exemplary, and anything less does our entire nation a disservice."
A source familiar with the matter told NBC News that Zamora was off-duty when he met a woman at the hotel, which overlooks the White House. After he left, he realized he had left a bullet in her room and went back to the hotel and asked the front desk if he could retrieve it, the source said.
The Post reported that the agent tried to get into the woman's room to retrieve the bullet and she would not open the door. A report of the incident led to Zamora being punished internally.
The Hay-Adams incident happened a year after eight Secret Service agents lost their jobs amid allegations they brought prostitutes back to their rooms while preparing for a summit in Cartagena, Colombia.
This story was originally published on Thu Nov 14, 2013 6:52 AM EST
A year after a prostitution scandal rocked the Secret Service, the agency is dealing with a new embarrassment after a senior supervisor was removed from his position for trying to retrieve a bullet he left in a woman's hotel room, a source told NBC News.
Ignacio Zamora oversaw two dozen agents in the president's security detail before the incident Washington's luxury Hay-Adams Hotel in May, according to the Washington Post.
An investigation into Zamora's conduct at the hotel revealed that he and another supervisor, Timothy Barraclough, had sent "sexually aggressive" emails to a female subordinate, the newspaper reported.
NBC News could not immediately confirm the allegations about Barraclough, who reportedly was also moved to another detail.
The agents did not return calls and the Secret Service had no comment, although a spokesman told the Post: "Periodically we have isolated incidents of misconduct, just like every organization does...we work diligently with our Office of Professional Responsibility and Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General" to resolve such cases "appropriately and quickly."
Rep. Mike McCaul, chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, told NBC News that a congressional review was under way.
"Recent reports of inappropriate behavior within the Secret Service are unacceptable and the committee is looking into the matter," he said.
"Allegations of misconduct on the part of those tasked with protecting the nation's highest officials are extremely concerning. The integrity of those looking after our First Family must be exemplary, and anything less does our entire nation a disservice."
A source familiar with the matter told NBC News that Zamora was off-duty when he met a woman at the hotel, which overlooks the White House. After he left, he realized he had left a bullet in her room and went back to the hotel and asked the front desk if he could retrieve it, the source said.
The Post reported that the agent tried to get into the woman's room to retrieve the bullet and she would not open the door. A report of the incident led to Zamora being punished internally.
The Hay-Adams incident happened a year after eight Secret Service agents lost their jobs amid allegations they brought prostitutes back to their rooms while preparing for a summit in Cartagena, Colombia.
This story was originally published on Thu Nov 14, 2013 6:52 AM EST