Power abuse

The Secret Service’s rotten culture

Nothing illustrates so well how rotten the Secret Service’s management culture is as an assistant director’s effort to retaliate against a member of Congress by advocating leaking embarrassing information about him. Referring to Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), the agency’s chief critic in Congress, Assistant Director Edward Lowery wrote in a March 31 email to the Secret Service assistant director in charge of congressional and public affairs, “Some information that he might find embarrassing needs to get out,” according to a report by the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general. “Just to be fair,” he added.