Congratulations, Secret Service. You just keep finding new ways to make yourselves look like incompetents and jerks.
As House Oversight Committee chair, GOP Rep. Jason Chaffetz was critical of the Secret Service’s ineptitude. And so, he had to be punished. This past April, he was:
Here's my story from April on Chaffetz: 'Congressman Who Oversees Secret Service Was Rejected by Secret Service'http://t.co/hdlkpI4Xap
— Tim Mak (@timkmak) September 30, 2015
In 2003, Chaffetz had applied for the Secret Service and been rejected. As a private personnel matter, that information never should have been made public. But it was. So much for the “secret” part, huh?
As the Washington Post’s Carol Leonnig and Jerry Markon report, a DHS investigation has found that the information was leaked at the behest of the Secret Service’s assistant director.
BREAKING @DHSOIG finds Secret Service assistant director urged that embarassing information about Congressman be made public
— Carol Leonnig (@CarolLeonnig) September 30, 2015
BREAKING Watchdog: Top Secret Service official wanted information about Chaffetz made public http://t.co/5SKWxswaEa
— Carol Leonnig (@CarolLeonnig) September 30, 2015
NEW: 45 in Secret Service peeked at Chaffetz file. Everyone knew his privacy was being violated, except Dir. Clancy http://t.co/L3LnG7gePf
— Carol Leonnig (@CarolLeonnig) September 30, 2015
Really professional operation you’ve got there, Secret Service.
The Secret Service’s assistant director urged that unflattering information the agency had in its files about a congressman critical of the service should be made public, according to a government watchdog report released Wednesday.
“Some information that he might find embarrassing needs to get out,” Assistant Director Edward Lowery wrote in an e-mail to a fellow director on March 31, commenting on an internal file that was being widely circulated inside the service. “Just to be fair.”
…
That information was part of Chaffetz’s personnel file stored in a restricted Secret Service database and required by law to be kept private.
Needless to say, Rep. Chaffetz is angry:
Oversight Chair Chaffetz says USSS "crossed" a "line" when it improperly accessed his personal information "to intimidate and embarrass me"
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) September 30, 2015
Chaffetz Statement on the Unauthorized Access of Personal Information By the Secret Service via @gopoversight https://t.co/JQd57o5Gm3
— Jason Chaffetz (@jasoninthehouse) September 30, 2015
https://twitter.com/lachlan/status/649332669768200192
Intimidating — and criminal.
U.S. Secret Service tried to discredit Congressman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), which could be a criminal violation
http://t.co/Oy5JlHuOzl— Matt Mackowiak (@MattMackowiak) September 30, 2015
Stunning, systemic invasion of Rep. Chaffetz's privacy by retaliatory snoops in Obama #secretservice ==> https://t.co/XRmqAusp0C
— Michelle Malkin (@michellemalkin) September 30, 2015
USSS Dir Clancy on his employees improperly accessing Chaffetz's info: I will ensure the appropriate disciplinary actions are taken.
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) September 30, 2015
Editor’s note: This post has been updated with an additional tweet.
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