Secret Service says sorry over sex scandal

The head of the US Secret Service — in his first public appearance since a Colombian prostitution scandal involving his staff surfaced last month — issued an apology for the misconduct, as lawmakers expressed doubt it was an isolated incident.

Secret Service director Mark Sullivan, faced the Senate Homeland Security Committee and said the behaviour of a dozen employees in Cartagena in April did not reflect the culture of the agency.

But Senator Joseph Lieberman, chairman of the committee, said a review of Secret Service records showed that over the past five years, there were 64 instances of “allegations or complaints concerning sexual misconduct ... against employees”.