The White House said on Tuesday that President Barack Obama has confidence in Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan, in the wake of a scandal involving misconduct of his agency's personnel before a summit Obama attended in Colombia.

White House Spokesman Jay Carney said "the president has confidence in the director of the Secret Service," while declining to speculate on the possible conclusions of an ongoing investigation into the incident.

According to Senator Susan Collins, the ranking Republican on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, about 20 women were brought to the hotel in Cartagena, Colombia, where Secret Service agents were accused of engaging in misconduct involving prostitutes, before Obama's arrival for a weekend summit with regional leaders.

The scandal prompted the agency to replace 11 agents on the security detail of the presidential trip before Obama's arrival last Friday. They were placed on administrative leave pending investigation and had their security clearance revoked. More than 10 military personnel on the security team that stayed at the same hotel were also being probed by the Pentagon.