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Secret Service agent emailed 'joke' about Indians
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Filed Under: Law

A U.S. Secret Service supervisor who was in charge of Sen. Barack Obama's (D-Illinois) presidential campaign security detail sent an e-mail to colleagues that included a sex-related "joke" about American Indians.

The January 26, 2005, e-mail from Victor Erevia to other supervisors contained a joke that referred to "popular myths about sexuality." The joke talked about American Indian men, Jewish men and other groups of men.

The e-mail was submitted as part of a lawsuit by African-American agents who say they are the victims of discrimination. Other messages contained derogatory remarks about prominent African-Americans like the Rev. Al Sharpton and the Rev. Jesse Jackson, as well as jokes about African-American people in general.

When asked about the Erevia e-mail in particular, a spokesperson for the Secret Service told The New York Times that it was "apparently an attempt at humor" and nothing more. The punchline made reference to "Tonto Goldstein."

The case is Moore v. Chertoff, in the federal court in Washington, D.C. The e-mails are part of a May 9 filing by the plaintiffs.

Get the Story:
Obama Secret Service Agent Tied to Sex Joke (The New York Times 5/15)
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Earlier Stories:
E-Mail Shows Racial Jokes by Secret Service Supervisors (The New York Times 5/10)
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E-mails filed in Secret Service racism lawsuit (AP 5/9)

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