Report: Secret Service agent allegedly sexually harassed Harris campaign staffer

A US Secret Service agent has reportedly been placed on leave after being accused of sexually harassing a member of Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign team.

The Secret Service did not release details of the incident, but confirmed that an agent was accused of misconduct. The Secret Service issued the following statement to FOX TV Stations:

“The U.S. Secret Service's Office of Professional Responsibility is investigating an allegation of misconduct by an employee. The Secret Service holds its personnel to the highest standards. The employee has been placed on leave pending the outcome of the investigation.”

READ MORE: US Secret Service: What you should know about one of the oldest American intelligence agencies

According to Real Clear Politics, this happened last week in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where Secret Service agents and Harris staff planned a campaign rally that never took place.

The report states that after work, the agent in question was eating and consuming alcoholic beverages with several Harris staffers at a local restaurant. When the group returned to a Harris staffer's hotel room, the agent reportedly forced himself on a female staffer and groped her in front of other people.

Secret Service agents are prohibited from consuming alcohol within 10 hours of going on duty.

Secret service under criticism

The misconduct investigation is another blow to an agency already under scrutiny for several failures that allowed a gunman to open fire at a rally for former President Donald Trump in July.

READ MORE: Assassination attempt on Trump: Inexperienced secret agent called toll-free number while flying drone and asked for help

Similar to the Secret Service's internal investigation and an ongoing bipartisan House investigation, an interim report released Wednesday by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee uncovered numerous failures at nearly every level in the lead-up to the Butler, Pennsylvania, shooting, including planning, communications, security and resource allocation.

READ MORE: Uniformed secret service officer accidentally shoots himself on duty

According to the report, the Secret Service was notified of a person on the roof of the building about two minutes before gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire. Crooks fired eight shots in Trump's direction, less than 137 yards from where the former president was speaking.

Trump, the 2024 Republican presidential candidate, was hit in the ear by a bullet or bullet fragments in the assassination attempt, one protester was killed and two others were injured before the gunman was killed by a Secret Service sniper.

READ MORE: Video shows where the Trump assassination suspect was lurking in front of a golf course

The House committee is also investigating a second assassination attempt on Trump earlier this month, when Secret Service agents arrested a man with a rifle hiding on the golf course at Trump's club in Florida.

Democrats and Republicans are divided over whether the Secret Service should get more money after its failures. A budget proposal expected to be passed before the end of the month would provide an additional $231 million for the agency, but many Republicans say an internal restructuring is needed first.

On Saturday, a uniformed Secret Service officer was injured when he accidentally shot himself while handling his weapon in the line of duty.