Two Secret Service agents, including a top member of President Barack Obama's protective detail, are being investigated for drunk driving after their car crashed into a White house barricade.

The two agents, suspected to be under the influence of alcohol, came from a late-night party for retiring Secret Service Spokesman Ed Donovan when the government car they were driving hit the barricade. 

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Sources said the Secret Service agents were freed after a supervisor at the scene overruled another patrolling officer on-duty, who wanted to detain the agents and make them undergo sobriety tests. 

The incident happened on March 4^th, raising questions on why the Secret Service has kept silent on the issue. Up to now, it has not issued any statement regarding the alleged misconduct of its two officers.

What is certain though, is that the latest incident is an addition to the list of Secret Service embarrassments.

A Secret Service official said the two employees have been reassigned to non-supervisory and non-operational assignments. Whether the reassignment is on a permanent basis or just pending an investigation is still undetermined.

"At the request of Secret Service Director Joe Clancy, the Department of Homeland Security's Office of the Inspector General is conducting an investigation into the allegations," the official said. "We're not going to comment further on this while that investigation is ongoing."

A senior administration official has also confirmed that the White House, including President Barack Obama, is fully aware of the incident.

"The President is aware of the allegations and supports Director Clancy's decision to turn the investigation over to the DHS Inspector General for a thorough review," the official said.

House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz was given a heads up by the Secret Service just before the Washington Post, who first reported the incident, came out with the story. But Chaffetz said what he knew was, the agents came from a party in Georgetown when they responded to a White House incident.

The Republican lawmaker said his committee will conduct a probe, adding that four whistleblowers had contacted his office about the incident.

Chaffetz, together with the committee's top Democrat, Rep. Elijah Cummings, issued a statement on Wednesday evening questioning if an overhaul is necessary to restore the agency's integrity.

TagsSecret Service, White House crash, drunk driving