60: The percentage of Secret Service agents who responded that they are willing to report unethical acts by fellow agents, according to agency director Mark Sullivan. Sullivan reported that figure during a Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing Wednesday on the Hill, in which he maintained that the agency does not have a culture of secrecy and that recent events in Colombia are not indicative of the whole service. Sullivan said he’d like the number to be 100 percent
“Forty percent is a very high percentage that wouldn’t report,” Sen. Ron Johnson pointed out, adding, “It’s just hard to believe that this is just a one-time occurrence. I wish I could believe it, but it’s hard to believe.”
Johnson later told Yeas & Nays that the figure “totally took me by surprise.” He expressed respect for Sullivan and for the service but said he still has some questions about the culture of the agency. Asked if he thought members of Congress would report unethical behavior at a higher rate than the Secret Service, Johnson said, “I would hope so.”
