U.S. Army soldiers who had been assigned to protect Vice President Mike Pence’s communications team during their trip to Panama last week have been reassigned after they brought women back to their hotel without registering the visitors.
“We are aware of the incident, and it is currently under investigation,” Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Paul Haverstick said in a statement. “We can confirm that the individuals in question have been reassigned back to the Army.”
The story was first reported by NBC News, who later updated it to say the incident occurred in Panama, not Colombia, as they had originally reported.
Pence and his wife, Karen, were in both countries as part of a six-day trip to Central and South America.
Members of Pence’s staff discovered from security camera footage that the soldiers had brought women into a secure area. It’s not clear whether the Pences were in the hotel at the time or if the incident took place before or after their visit to Panama.
The soldiers are senior members in the Army. They were removed from Pence’s White House detail immediately after returning to the U.S.
The Defense Department said there was no indication that the women who accompanied the soldiers to the hotel were prostitutes.
