Palmer Condemns Misconduct at DEA, Calls for Reform

For Immediate Release

Washington D.C. - Congressman Gary Palmer, a member of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, expresses deep concern over the allegations of sexual misconduct and bureaucratic unaccountability at the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). Serious allegations have arisen that DEA agents have been involved in soliciting prostitutes and other sexual misconduct while in Cartagena, Colombia. This conduct may have also led to communications devices and credentials being compromised:

"The hearings today demonstrate that there are serious issues with the culture at the DEA and equally serious problems concerning accountability. The DEA Administrator claimed she lacked authority to fire or even seriously discipline agents who had conducted themselves in deplorable ways, such as soliciting underage prostitutes. Further, she admitted there was no policy that required a DEA agent to keep weapons or devices with sensitive information out of control of foreign nationals. Clearly, there needs to be more accountability in the agency."

These allegations are even more troubling given the difficulty that the DOJ's Inspector General (IG) has faced in investigating these problems. He was unable to obtain documents requested from either the DEA or the FBI. When asked directly whether or not his investigation had been obstructed, the DOJ IG said, "Yes."

The IG's report can be accessed here:

https://www.justice.gov/oig/reports/2015/e1504.pdf

Congressman Palmer's hearing questions can be seen here:

https://youtu.be/vt5pBOtn0-w

For any additional questions, contact:

Cliff Smith, (202) 225-4921, clifford.smith@mail.house.gov
U.S. Representative Gary Palmer (R-AL) serves on three Congressional committees: Oversight and Government Reform, Budget, and Space, Science and Technology. Visit Palmer online at his website or via Facebook,Twitter, or Instagram.