When it comes to scandals, the best thing is to make them vanish quickly.
Waiting for an Inspector General report takes far too long.
In the case of the Secret Service-prostitution scandal, so far, so good.
Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan, a veteran of navigating Capitol Hill, has done all the right things. He quickly launched an investigation. He’s called for an I.G. investigation. And he’s talked to folks on the Hill like Sen. Chuck Grassley to keep them apprised of the unfolding events.
So far, two agents have resigned and a third has retired. More need to go. The sooner the better.
Not that the agents have committed the crime of the century. In fact, they’ve committed no crime. Prostitution is legal in Colombia.
But when you represent an agency like the Secret Service while abroad, and you’re there on behalf of the President of the United States, more is expected of you.
The Secret Service is wisely delving deeply into the matter.
Bloomberg news reports investigators are trying to determine if any of the prostitutes were spies and whether any classified info was compromised.
If there ended up being something to that, the scandal would only get bigger.
That’s something the President, the Secret Service and the public doesn’t need. Scandals provide plenty of fodder for the press.
But they distract from more important issues at hand.
