Agents’ White House crash

The US Secret Service said two agents were under investigation after an incident last week in which they were reported to have driven a government car into White House barricades after drinking at a late-night party.

The Washington Post reported that one of the agents involved in the alleged March 4 incident was a top member of President Barack Obama’s protective detail.

The newspaper quoted current and former government officials familiar with the incident as saying officers on duty wanted to arrest the agents and give them sobriety tests. A supervisor ordered the agents be sent home, the officials said.

A Secret Service spokeswoman said in a statement the agency was aware of the allegations against the two agents and that “if misconduct is identified, appropriate action will be taken based on established rules and regulations”.

The Secret Service statement added that its director, Joseph Clancy, had been briefed on the allegations and that the investigation had been turned over to the Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General.

Clancy was chosen to head the agency by Obama after a series of high-profile security lapses led to a shake-up in the leadership.

Director Julia Pierson stepped down in October after an embarrassing White House breach on September 19 in which a man carrying a knife jumped the fence and ran in to the mansion.

Two officials on the House of Representatives oversight committee said despite the changes in leadership, “this incident begs the question of whether that is enough”.