The Hill News

Rep. Randy Forbes (R-Va.) said Wednesday that the prostitution scandal involving the Secret Service is a "much bigger problem" than a case of "a couple of knuckleheads."

"Think about the culture that would hire this many knuckleheads. Think about the culture that would assign this many knuckleheads to such a premier mission," Forbes said on CNN. "This is an agency we shouldn't be laughing about."

President Obama first used the word in an interview the previous day while expressing his faith in the agency overall.

“The Secret Service, these guys are incredible,” Obama said in an interview with Jimmy Fallon that aired Tuesday on NBC. “They protect me. They protect our girls. A couple of knuckleheads shouldn't detract from what they do. What they were thinking, I don't know. That's why they're not there anymore.”

Six agents so far have resigned in the wake of the scandal involving multiple prostitutes brought to a hotel in Colombia that the Se! cret Service was scouting ahead of a state visit by Obama.

Forbes has called for Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan to resign. Obama and several Republicans in leadership have expressed faith in Sullivan's actions following the discovery of the scandal and during the ongoing investigation. Sullivan was appointed by former President George W. Bush in 2006, and has been praised for acting quickly and transparently to address the situation. 

But Forbes blamed Sullivan for what he believes to be systemic problems within the agency.

"Think about the culture that wouldn't detect this through all the years of training, and even when all this was happening down there it wasn't the Secret Service that determined it, reported it up and stopped it. The only reason we know about it today is because one prostitute didn't get paid for her services. I think that's a culture that needs to change," Forbes said.

"When it comes to the Secret Service and protecting ! the president and leadership of this country, we can't afford ! mistakes . We've got to make sure we've corrected this culture and make sure it doesn't happen tomorrow," he continued. "If there's any place that we should demand a high standard of conduct and character, it should be the Secret Service."