DHS secretary apologizes to Chaffetz over Secret Service flap

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The Hill:

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson called to personally apologize to House Oversight Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) Thursday night after reports that Secret Service employees may have circulated personnel information revealing that Chaffetz had once been rejected for a job at the elite agency.

 

“Secretary Johnson has called for an investigation and if the allegations in the report are true, those responsible should be held accountable,” Homeland Security Department spokeswoman Marsha Catron said in a statement to The Hill on Friday.

 

“Last night, Secretary Johnson also called Chairman Chaffetz to personally apologize to him for being put in the situation that he had to acknowledge a matter that should have been kept confidential.”

 

Johnson’s push for an internal investigation came after senior staffers on the Oversight Committee referred the matter to DHS Inspector General John Roth. Whistleblowers within DHS had complained to the House panel that some employees had been circulating private information about Chaffetz in a bid to embarrass him.