Incidents that made Obama's bodyguards blush

The supercar "Beast" and the secret service team protecting President Obama have had many embarrassing incidents during his trips abroad.

The Cadillac that transports US President Obama is called "The Beast" because it carries a series of extremely special and impressive designs, putting the safety of the White House owner first.

It has a 20cm thick armor plating on the doors. But because of that, its weight becomes heavier than normal, about 8 tons. Combined with the length of the car body up to 5.5 m, this Cadillac encountered many difficulties when moving on rough terrain and encountered humorous incidents, causing the US Secret Service to struggle to find a way to handle it.

Crash

The US Secret Service tried to save the president's car from collapsing.

Images from the clip posted on Youtube show that, when driving over a steep slope at the embassy gate, the Cadillac suddenly stopped, making a very loud "bang" sound when the thick armored chassis collided strongly with the slope, causing the two rear wheels of the car to flip up, not touching the ground. In fact, President Obama's "Beast" once had an accident when moving over a steep slope. In May 2011, during a trip to Ireland, one of the two armored Cadillacs carrying him collapsed while leaving the US embassy in the capital Dublin.

The people in the car quickly moved to surrounding cars and the whole convoy left the embassy by another route. The crowd outside welcoming the convoy roared. One person even shouted out, "Do you need a push?"

The car was stuck for about 15 minutes before technicians freed it. However, it was only a backup Cadillac, carrying Secret Service agents. President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama were in the second Cadillac at the time.

Engine failure

A Cadillac that broke down in Tel Aviz, Israel, was taken away by a tow truck. Photo: Twitter

Another Cadillac was then transferred from Jordan to Tel Aviv to serve the President's travel. Jordan was the next stop for Mr. Obama. In March 2013, the "Beast" had another problem during President Obama's trip to Tel Aviv, Israel. CNN reported that a Cadillac broke down while preparing to leave the hotel where President Obama was scheduled to stay in Tel Aviv to go to the airport to pick him up.

An Israeli official said the car would not start because the driver had mistakenly filled it with gasoline instead of diesel. However, US Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan said the incident was not related to the vehicle's fuel.

Drunk Secret Agent

In addition to the technical problems related to the Cadillac, the US has also been in a difficult situation many times due to scandals involving secret service agents during President Obama's foreign trips.

In March 2014, three U.S. Secret Service agents responsible for protecting President Obama during his visit to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, were sent home and suspended after getting drunk the night before Obama arrived in the Netherlands, according to the Washington Post. The incident occurred at the Huis Ter Duin hotel in the town of Noordwijk, where President Obama was scheduled to stay.

One of the agents got so drunk that he fell asleep in the hotel hallway and was reported to the US embassy in the Netherlands by staff there.

According to two sources familiar with the matter, the three agents were members of the Secret Service’s Counter Assault Team (CAT). They were in the Netherlands to conduct a security check on the hotel before President Obama arrived.

CATs are often assigned to travel in the White House motorcade. They are the outer security force, not the Secret Service agents who always stay close to the president. In the event of an attack on the motorcade, they are tasked with countering enemy fire and helping the president quickly escape the scene in an armored Cadillac.

Members of the Counter Assault Team (CAT) of the US Secret Service. Photo: Reuters

Prostitution scandal

One of the most tarnished scandals in the history of the US Secret Service was the deportation and suspension of 11 agents for participating in a debauchery in Cartagena, Colombia, in April 2012.

They were sent here to conduct security checks before President Obama attended the Summit of the Americas. According to the New York Post, after getting drunk at nightclubs, these secret agents brought a group of prostitutes back to the hotel to "have fun".

The incident broke out due to a dispute over price between a prostitute named Dania Londono Suarez and a secret agent.

Suarez reacted angrily because the agent only paid her $28, despite the initial agreed price of $800. Suarez called the local police. She eventually agreed to leave after receiving $225.

Suarez also said that when he took her back to the room, the guest fell asleep, leaving her luggage and confidential documents in front of her.

In a letter to Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan, Congressman Darrell Issa, chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, warned that Secret Service agents allowing "foreigners to access sensitive security information" could lead to the risk of blackmail or other forms of harm.

Nine of the 11 Secret Service agents involved in the scandal have quit, with two fired, six resigning and one retiring.

According to VNE