Secret Circus (Secret Service nickname)
The United States Secret Service has a U.S. Treasury function and is also responsible for protecting national leaders and their families. In April 2012, in advance of President Obama’s appearance at the Summit of the Americas in Cartagena, Columbia, several Secret Service agents solicited prostitutes, causing an international scandal. The term “Secret Circus” appeared in the Washington (DC) Post on May 22, 2012, defined as “a mocking nickname that some employees use to describe what ensues when large numbers of agents and officers arrive in a city.”
The Secret Service had been nicknamed the “Secret Circus” infrequently in print since at least 2005.
Wikipedia: United States Secret Service
The United States Secret Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency that is part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The sworn members are divided among the Special Agents and the Uniformed Division. Until March 1, 2003, the Service was part of the United States Department of the Treasury.
The U.S. Secret Service has two distinct areas of responsibility:
. Treasury roles, covering missions such as prevention and investigation of counterfeiting of U.S. currency and U.S treasury securities, and investigation of major fraud.
. Protective roles, ensuring the safety of current and former national leaders and their families, such as the President, past Presidents, Vice Presidents, presidential candidates, foreign embassies (per an agreement with the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DS) Office of Foreign Missions (OFM), etc.)
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Summit of the Americas prostitution scandal
In April 2012, a scandal involving Obama’s security detail received international press attention. The scandal involved 11 agents and personnel from all four branches of the U.S. military; they allegedly engaged prostitutes while assigned to protect the U.S. President at the 6th Summit of the Americas in Cartagena, Colombia. As of April 24, nine employees had resigned or retired.
Speedzilla Motorcycle Message Forums
Guest
06-30-2005, 02:05 PM
Sims, I have a buddy that graduated from the acadamy with me who works for the secret circus. Says it’s interesting, a lot of traveling, but now he wants to go to the good side (marshals).
Google Groups: rec.arts.mystery
Lynn allen
Oct 24 2006
Mike Burke
wrote:
> While we’re on the subject of rudeness, if our government had any
> spine, which they don’t, they wouldn’t allow American Presidents or
> other senior representatives to bring more than a token personal
> bodyguard with them when they come down here. They can request us to
> provide the requisite security from our own police and security
> services, and we would be rude not to provide it, but to insist, as
> they do, that we - close allies of the US since time immemorial -
> allow the three-ring Secret Service Circus to take over security
> arrangements entirely is completely unacceptable.
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That doesn’t mean the Secret Circus should be rude to local cops.
M4Carbine.net Forums
karmapolice
08-14-08, 11:19
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Todd G is right about the Secret Circus uniform division taking applicant but they also are the same class under the Federal General Scheduled as special agent Secret Service guys and also don’t have the same requirements nor the same additional 20% pay rate on top of their GS rating.
Prison Planet Forum
Filthy Rich
Re: Obama code name revealed
Reply #6 on: November 14, 2008, 08:50:51 PM
Funny, I thought Obama’s codename was “Mabus”....
Oh, that’s right. Nostradamus isn’t in charge of the Secret Circus. My bad.
Military.com Forums
FormerEmbassyMarine
Posted Wed 25 November 2009 06:03 PM
Details emerging…
The Secret Circus failed…
quote:
Couple slips though security to crash state dinner
(AP) – 1 hour ago
WASHINGTON — The Secret Service says it’s looking into its own security procedures after determining that two people crashed Tuesday night’s state dinner at the White House.
Washington (DC) Post
Secret Service sex scandal: Several say they didn’t break the rules
By Carol D. Leonnig and David Nakamura, Published: May 22, 2012
Four Secret Service employees have decided to fight their dismissals for engaging in inappropriate conduct in Colombia last month, a development that could unravel what has been a swift and tidy resolution to an embarrassing scandal over agents’ hiring of prostitutes.
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They also contend that this tolerance is part of the “Secret Circus” — a mocking nickname that some employees use to describe what ensues when large numbers of agents and officers arrive in a city.
StarTribune.com (MN)
Secret Service or Secret Circus?
Article by: DANA MILBANK , Washington Post.
Updated: May 24, 2012 - 9:53 AM
The Secret Circus may soon be looking for a new ringmaster.
The prostitution scandal involving a dozen Secret Service agents in Cartagena, Colombia, is spreading into a broader burlesque for the agency, furthered by a Washington Post report that tolerance of a frat-house culture has induced some employees to come up with the “Secret Circus” name.
New York (NY) Times
Op-Ed Columnist
The Party Animals at the Secret Circus
By MAUREEN DOWD
Published: May 26, 2012
WASHINGTON
THE Secret Circus, as the traveling Secret Service extravaganza is known, had come to town. And the pack of macho Secret Service agents were hitting the clubs, drinking and hanging out with comely young women in alluring outfits.