US Agencies Probe Secret Service Prostitution Scandal

 　　Top U.S. lawmakers are calling for more firings at the Secret Service, after a prostitution scandal diminished the reputation of the agents who protect the president.  Three people have left the service as a result of the scandal.  It is uncertain whether the events in Colombia will affect President Barack Obama's reelection bid.

　　Republican Representative Peter King, who is leading an investigation¹ of the scandal, said Thursday he welcomed the previous day's departures and would not be surprised if more followed.  Senator Charles Grassley, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, called the departures a positive development.

　　Eleven Secret Service employees are alleged³ to have taken prostitutes to their hotel in Cartagena, Colombia last week, when they were setting up security for President Obama's visit to the Summit of the Americas.

　　Secret Service investigators⁴ are in Colombia, looking into the incident.

　　Jeffrey Robinson, co-author of a book about the inner workings of the Secret Service, says the scandal has tarnished⁵ the agency’s image.

　　“Well, tarnished is the right word, and that is why a lot of the agents are really very upset," said Robinson. "I mean, they are furious that these 11 guys would put the agency in this kind of light and deter⁶ from a lot of the other agents - all of the other agents - doing their job.”

　　Immediately after the incident was made public last Saturday, President Obama told reporters the alleged behavior of the agents was unacceptable for anyone representing the United States.

　　"If it turns out that some of the allegations that have been made in the press are confirmed, then, of course, I'll be angry," said President Obama.

　　The Secret Service employees thought to be involved were not part of the president's protection detail.  About 10 military service members are also suspected to have taken part.

　　White House Press Secretary Jay Carney this week praised the actions of Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan after the incident.

　　"The president has confidence in the director of the Secret Service," said Carney. "Director Sullivan acted quickly in response to this incident, and is overseeing an investigation, as we speak, into the matter."

　　Reaction to the scandal by opposition⁷ Republicans has been somewhat muted.  Former Massachusetts governor Mitt² Romney, President Obama's likely opponent in the November election, said he also has confidence in the agency's director.

　　Romney said in a radio interview on Wednesday that he would fire the agents involved.

　　The Secret Service incident comes at the same time that employees of another government agency, the General Services Administration, are accused of spending extravagant⁸ amounts of money at a 2010 conference in Las Vegas, Nevada.

　　The two stories are causing some of the president's political opponents to question the competence⁹ promised by the Obama campaign in 2008.

　　But several experts say they do not expect the Secret Service scandal to cause lasting¹⁰ political harm to President Obama.

　　Thomas Mann of the Brookings Institution says it would be hard for political opponents to capitalize on the scandal.

　　"It is unfortunate," said Mann. "It is embarrassing for the Secret Service, but it is hard to imagine any sentient¹¹ human being linking Obama to it.  And I cannot imagine how an opposing candidate could actually use it against him in the campaign without himself being harmed."

　　Author Jeffrey Robinson says there is little, if anything, the Obama administration could have done to prevent the agents from engaging with prostitutes.

　　"Anybody who tries to make this into something more than 11 guys getting drunk and doing what 11 drunk guys do when they have got time on their hands, and go look for hookers and that sort of thing, it is just not fair.  It is wrong," he said.

　　Robinson predicts that the Secret Service prostitution scandal will probably be forgotten within a year.

1 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

2 mitt   

n.棒球手套，拳击手套，无指手套；vt.铐住，握手

参考例句：

• I gave him a baseball mitt for his birthday.为祝贺他的生日，我送给他一只棒球手套。
• Tom squeezed a mitt and a glove into the bag.汤姆把棒球手套和手套都塞进袋子里。

3 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

4 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 tarnished   

（通常指金属）（使）失去光泽，（使）变灰暗( tarnish的过去式和过去分词 )； 玷污，败坏

参考例句：

• The mirrors had tarnished with age. 这些镜子因年深日久而照影不清楚。
• His bad behaviour has tarnished the good name of the school. 他行为不轨，败坏了学校的声誉。

6 deter   

vt.阻止，使不敢，吓住

参考例句：

• Failure did not deter us from trying it again.失败并没有能阻挡我们再次进行试验。
• Dogs can deter unwelcome intruders.狗能够阻拦不受欢迎的闯入者。

7 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

8 extravagant   

adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的

参考例句：

• They tried to please him with fulsome compliments and extravagant gifts.他们想用溢美之词和奢华的礼品来取悦他。
• He is extravagant in behaviour.他行为放肆。

9 competence   

n.能力，胜任，称职

参考例句：

• This mess is a poor reflection on his competence.这种混乱情况说明他难当此任。
• These are matters within the competence of the court.这些是法院权限以内的事。

10 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

11 sentient   

adj.有知觉的，知悉的；adv.有感觉能力地

参考例句：

• The living knew themselves just sentient puppets on God's stage.生还者认识到，他们不过是上帝的舞台上有知觉的木偶而已。
• It teaches us to love all sentient beings equally.它教导我们应该平等爱护一切众生。