Secret Service Twitter Misstep Followed By Apology From Agency

The U.S. Secret Service issued an apology on Wednesday after an eyebrow-raising tweet went out on the agency's official Twitter account (@SecretService), which was just activated last week.

The tweet, which stirred buzz despite swiftly being taken down, read: "Had to monitor Fox for a story. Can't. Deal. With. The. Blathering."

According to CNN, the Secret Service released a statement addressing the social media misstep.

"An employee with access to the Secret Service's Twitter account, who mistakenly believed they were on their personal account, posted an unapproved and inappropriate tweet," the agency said. "We apologize for this mistake, and the user no longer has access to our official account. Policies and practices which would have prevented this were not followed and will be reinforced for all account users."

At the time the Secret Service launched its Twitter presence, a spokesperson for the agency told CBS News, "The @secretservice Twitter account will be used to highlight the Secret Service's investigative mission, share press releases from the Secret Service and the Department of Homeland Security, distribute information to local communities hosting National Special Security Events, explore Secret Service history and promote upcoming recruitment opportunities."

Comments

[mcdeve]

09:23 AM on 05/20/2011

SECRETE service should not have twitter. Duh.

[jason83]

03:34 AM on 05/20/2011

Apologize for what? I always appreciate honesty by government agencies.

[WorldEdition]

03:25 AM on 05/20/2011

But, did they explain why the employee had to "monitor Fox for a story"?

If this was Bush's SS saying they were monitoring MSNBC, a lot of eyebrows would go up! I'd like to know....

[dubbleplusgood]

03:14 AM on 05/20/2011

One of the best tweets ever. Secret Service. For. The. Win.

[Virtual Lib]

02:43 AM on 05/20/2011

Well damn, they took his tweeting pass away, I was hoping for more rogue mishaps.

[Nick Lyons]

01:59 AM on 05/20/2011

So the secret service forgot to logout of twitter?

LOL..

[AlwaysRightLeftist]

02:17 AM on 05/20/2011

Read the article :)

[lovelybunchofcoconuts]

01:42 AM on 05/20/2011

Maybe it's a PR stunt to make them look lovable. Not that I'm paranoid or anything.

[jubo]

03:25 AM on 05/20/2011

If anything they certainly come across as more civilized.

[Lena Elizabeth]

01:41 AM on 05/20/2011

I love a good rogue tweet. This is even better than the Red Cross #gettingslizzered incident.

[sassiestkat]

01:39 AM on 05/20/2011

Whom ever Tweeted this is my new favorite person, my hero! Let's nominate them for "Time's Person of the Year" and yes, I'm for real! LOL

[sunmocker1970]

01:32 AM on 05/20/2011

Still laughing 2 days later...

[nnyl]

01:28 AM on 05/20/2011

I can't deal with Fox's blathering either.

[sassiestkat]

01:27 AM on 05/20/2011

Best-Tweet-EVAH!

[sms1777]

01:19 AM on 05/20/2011

Who gave Joe Biden the password to the Secret Service's twitter?

[Karl Hansen]

12:53 AM on 05/20/2011

They got time for personal Tweets? lol

[Anym]

12:52 AM on 05/20/2011

I am kinda happy the Secret Service is monitoring Faux News.

[ReedYoung]

10:20 AM on 05/20/2011

Now that's what I call a signature! Excellent use of the limited micro-bio space!