The U.S. Secret Service has come under harsh criticism and sharp scrutiny over the past few months, justifiably so, and that likely won't stop any time soon.

An unnamed Secret Service agent was placed on administrative leave last week following an alleged incident in which they groped and sexually assaulted a staffer for Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential campaign, the BBC reported.

The incident of alleged misconduct comes close on the heels of two narrowly missed attempted assassinations of former President Donald Trump that has placed the federal agency under a glaring spotlight and spurred questions about its practices, procedures, and training for its personnel.

Alleged sexual assault incident

RealClearPolitics was the first to report, based on multiple anonymous sources, the alleged incident that occurred when an advance team of Secret Service agents joined a group of staffers from the Harris campaign in Green Bay, Wisconsin, last week to discuss logistics and security plans for a possible campaign event that ultimately did not occur last Friday.

After their work was concluded, the agent and the staffers had dinner and drinks at a local restaurant before the entire group headed back to a hotel and congregated in the room of the alleged victim. It was there that the agent, who according to witnesses of the incident was drunk, tried to force himself sexually on the staffer and inappropriately groped her.

Following the alleged incident, the agent returned to a different room shared with other agents from the advance team, but per an anonymous source within the Secret Service, was so "inebriated" that his colleagues kicked him out of the room and he passed out drunk in the hallway.

RCP further reported that the accused agent was then summoned to the agency's Washington D.C. headquarters on Monday for a meeting with investigators of the Secret Service Inspections Division, which handles disciplinary matters for the agency's personnel.

The outlet noted that it would be up to prosecutors and the courts to determine if the agent will be criminally charged and tried, but there appears to be little question that the agent will be disciplined for violating agency rules about alcohol consumption and misconduct.

Secret Service, VP's Office issue statements

The Washington Examiner reported that the Secret Service declined to discuss details of the alleged incident but did confirm that it was under investigation and that the agent in question had been placed on leave amid the ongoing probe.

"The U.S. Secret Service Office of Professional Responsibility is investigating a misconduct allegation involving an employee," an agency spokesman said in a statement. "The Secret Service holds its personnel to the highest standards. The employee has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation."

The vice president's office likewise confirmed that it was aware of the alleged sexual assault of a campaign aide but similarly declined to discuss any of the specific allegations of what occurred.

"The Office of the Vice President takes the safety of staff seriously. We have zero tolerance for sexual misconduct," a spokesperson said. "Senior OVP officials were alerted by the USSS about an incident involving an agent and informed that USSS initiated an investigation. The Office of the Vice President will not be releasing further information."

What happens next?

It remains to be seen how much trouble, if any, the accused Secret Service agent will be in once investigations into the alleged incident of sexual assault have concluded.

Meanwhile, the agency continues to face scrutiny of its own from Congress for its apparent shortcomings in keeping all of its protectees safe from threatened harm, even as the agency has urged lawmakers to give it more funding and resources to do its job.