Cotton on Latest Secret Service Scandal: Leadership Tolerated Intimidation, Retaliation

TAPPER: “I want to change subject just for this last question here, sir. You’re calling for an investigation into the Secret Service for leaking personal information about Republican Congressman Jason Chaffetz, who chairs a committee that oversees the Secret Service, has been a critic of many of their mishaps. Do you believe at this point that the director of the agency, Joe Clancy, should be fired?” 

COTTON: “Jake, I don’t want to prejudge any particular outcome either in workplace discipline or criminal investigation, but it’s actually worse than just a leak; 45 different employees of the Secret Service, we now know, thanks to an inspector general report, illegally accessed their files to discover Jason Chaffetz’s personnel file. So, this is a case in which the American people’s elected representatives were trying to do their job to conduct oversight of past misconduct by the Secret Service. And the Secret Service leadership at least tolerated intimidation and retaliation. That should frighten most Americans, because it could happen to them if it could happen to a powerful chairman of a committee, and it could interfere with their representatives doing their job to hold the executive branch accountable.” 

TAPPER: “Senator Tom Cotton, thank you so much. Appreciate it, sir.”