Two senior U.S. Secret Service agents are under investigation for allegations they drove a government car into White House security barricades last week after drinking at a late-night party, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday.
A Secret Service spokeswoman said the agency was aware of the allegations against the two agents and that "if misconduct is identified, appropriate action will be taken based on established rules and regulations."
The Post said one of the agents included a top member of President Barack Obama's protective detail.
It quoted current and former government officials familiar with the March 4 incident as saying officers on duty wanted to arrest the agents and give them sobriety tests. But a supervisor ordered the agents be sent home, the officials told the Post.
The Secret Service spokeswoman said in a statement that its director, Joseph Clancy, had been briefed on the allegations and that the investigation had been turned over to the Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General.
Clancy was chosen to head the agency by Obama after a series of high-profile security lapses led to a shake-up in the troubled agency's leadership.
Former Director Julia Pierson stepped down in October after an embarrassing Sept. 19 White House breach in which a man carrying a knife jumped the fence and ran into the executive mansion.
The service's credibility was also damaged in 2012 when it was revealed that members had hired prostitutes while in Cartagena, Colombia, in advance of an Obama trip.