FILE - In this Oct. 3, 2014, file photo, a temporary barrier marked with a sign 'Police Line Do Not Cross' is seen along Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House in Washington. The Secret Service has placed a high-ranking supervisor on administrative leave and suspended the supervisor's security clearance after what it calls 'allegations of misconduct and potential criminal activity'. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)
A high-ranking Secret Service supervisor was placed on administrative leave Wednesday after a female employee alleged that he assaulted her after-hours at agency headquarters last week.
The Secret Service said the supervisor, identified as 48-year-old Xavier Morales, had his security clearance suspended after "allegations of misconduct and potential criminal activity." Spokesman Brian Leary told the Associated Press that the incident was first reported to the agency's Office of Professional Responsibility on April 2, after which inspectors conducted corroborative interviews. Director Joseph Clancy was informed the same day, and Morales was placed on leave.
The female employee claimed that Morales, a manager in the agency's security clearance division and her boss, made unwanted advances toward her after they returned from a party at a Washington restaurant March 31. The party was held to celebrate Morales's assignment to head the Secret Service field office in Louisville.
The employee told investigators that Morales told her during the party that he was in love with her and wanted to have sex with her. After they returned to the office, the employee claimed Morales tried to kiss her and grabbed her arms when she resisted. Morales ultimately relented after a brief struggle.
Instead of reporting to his new job in Louisville, Morales was placed on leave and his name was added to an internal "do not admit" list. The Secret Service also took away his badge and gun. The incident is under investigation by the Department of Homeland Security's inspector general. The Washington Post reported that the Metropolitan Police Department's sex crimes unit is also looking into the case.
The agency's security clearance division is responsible for determining whether agents should lose their jobs and examines job applicants for potential security issues.
The report is the latest in a series of public mishaps by the Secret Service. The most recent incident involved two agents who drove an agency car into a secure area near the White House without authorization after returning from a party on the evening of March 4.
The House Oversight Committee is also trying to get to the bottom of allegations that those agents had been drinking when they drove into the area. The agents were accused of nudging a construction barrier with their vehicle as they intruded during an investigation of a suspicious item.
Fox News' Chad Pergram and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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