Secret Service investigative report that an agent groped a Harris staff member

A US Secret Service agent has been accused of groping and sexually harassing a member of Vice President Kamala Harris’ official staff during a trip last week, according to three people familiar with the matter.

The Secret Service’s Office of Professional Responsibility is investigating an allegation of misconduct involving an employee, according to the law enforcement agency tasked with protecting the president, vice president, candidates and some members of Congress. “The Secret Service holds its personnel to the highest standards,” according to the statement released Wednesday.

Harris’ office said in a statement that “we have zero tolerance for sexual misconduct” and that the office takes “staff safety” seriously.

The agent was on a trip with Harris staff members last week in Wisconsin to scout possible locations for a visit by the Democratic presidential candidate when the group went out for dinner and drinks. The agent, who appeared drunk, is accused of groping the woman in front of others after they returned to the hotel, according to people who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.

The employee has been removed from the detail and placed on administrative leave pending the results of the investigation, the Secret Service said.

The news comes as the agency faces a mountain of criticism for two assassination attempts on Republican nominee Donald Trump. On July 13, Trump suffered a wound to his ear when a gunman targeted him at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. A second failed assassination attempt was made on September 16 at Trump’s golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida.

A scathing bipartisan congressional report released Wednesday into the first assassination attempt found that there was no clear chain of command between the Secret Service and other security agencies, and no plan to cover the building where the shooter positioned himself on the roof to fire shots. Butler. The shooter was killed by the Secret Service.