New details are surfacing about the prostitution scandal in Cartagena, Colombia, as investigators attempt to locate the 11 women who allegedly partied with U.S. Secret Service and military personnel. NBC's Kristen Welker reports.
David Randall Chaney posted photos of himself on the social media site, including one that shows him behind Palin during the 2008 campaign, including the comment, "I was really checking her out, if you know what I mean?" the report stated.
The Post also identified Greg Stokes, an assistant special agent in charge of the K9 division, as the agent who was listed as "removal for cause." The process requires a 30-day notice, an opportunity to respond and the right to be represented by private legal counsel.
Lawrence Berger the lawyer who is serving as legal counsel for the two men tells NBC News, "nobody has been separated from the agency involuntarily." According to Berger, Stokes is, "going to vigorously defend himself in the administrative process that is available." Berger said he couldn't comment on why Chaney was employing counsel. Berger also made a point of saying that whoever is leaking the names from inside the Secret Service is probably breaking the law.
Both Chaney and Stokes worked at the Secret Service for nearly two decades, the Post noted.
In an interview with Fox News Thursday, Palin said the joke is on Chaney.
"Well, check this out, buddy — you're fired!" Palin said.
Chaney and Stokes were among 11 Secret Service agents and 10 U.S. military personnel who allegedly took as many as 21 women back to their beachfront hotel just before President Barack Obama arrived for the Summit of the Americas last weekend. They were discovered when one woman complained about money, resulting in the local police getting involved.
Eight men remain suspended and have had their top-secret security clearances lifted.
Confidence in agency leadership
Earlier Thursday, the White House expressed confidence in the director of the Secret Service in the midst of the scandal, which has threatened to become a serious political distraction in an election year. A key lawmaker who oversees the Secret Service predicted more firings there soon.
Obama's chief spokesman, Jay Carney, noted that some employees have already lost their jobs, just days into the government's formal investigation of the incident. Carney also said the president's security in Cartagena was never compromised, and he asked for patience as official investigations continue.
"Perhaps it would be in the interests of a complete and thorough and fair investigation not to make determinations about the conclusions of an investigation before they've even been reached," Carney said. "That's the president's position."
More Secret Service resignations expected to be announced
Rep. Peter King, a New York Republican and chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, said Thursday that more firings could be imminent.
"I wouldn't be surprised if you saw more dismissals and more being forced out sooner rather than later," said King, who is being updated on the investigation by Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan. "You may see a few more today or tomorrow."
Romney: ‘I’d clean house’
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who receives Secret Service protection, has condemned the alleged misconduct, telling radio host Laura Ingraham that "I'd clean house." But he expressed confidence in Director Sullivan.
"The right thing to do is to remove people who have violated the public trust and have put their play time and their personal interests ahead of the interests of the nation," Romney said.
Three U.S. military officials have said the military personnel include five Army Green Berets, two Navy Explosive Ordinance Disposal technicians, two Marine dog handlers and an Air Force airman. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is still under way.
An Air Force colonel and a military lawyer have gone to Colombia as part of the military investigation. The Secret Service probe has included interviews with the employees and hotel staff.
King said investigators in Colombia have not been able to interview the women.
Reaction in Cartagena
A 24-year-old prostitute told The New York Times this week that the scandal became public after she fought over payment with one of the Secret Service employees, and it spilled out into the hallway of the Hotel Caribe on April 12.
Jose Pena, a Cartagena taxi driver, told The Associated Press that he picked up the woman after the dispute. She said she left the hotel, where other members of the security detail and the White House press corps were staying, after she was paid $225.
NYT: Escort recounts quarrel with Secret Service agent
In Cartagena this week, sex workers and hotel staff were reluctant to speak about the incident, which has become an election year embarrassment in the U.S.
Prostitution is legal in Colombia, and Cartagena thrives on the sex tourism industry, Mayor Campo Elias readily acknowledged, with hundreds of prostitutes available on any given night throughout the colonial walled city.
NBC News' Kristen Welker, Shawna Thomas and Ali Weinberg, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
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