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Celebrity chef says he discovered Secret Service keg parties; State Dept. promises investigation

Gregg Re Editor
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During a press briefing on Monday, the State Department promised to investigate celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain’s claim that he had obtained cellphones used by Secret Service agents in Myanmar.

In a tweet on Sunday, Bourdain wrote, “The guys who rented our phones in #Myanmar before us were Secret Service. They should really have deleted their texts. #Kegparty!”

Bourdain, who was in Myanmar for his new weekend food and travel show on CNN, did not respond to his followers’ inquiries as to whether he was joking.

“Speaking of U.S. entertainers abroad, the celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain is in Myanmar, Burma,” a questioner asked State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nulan during the briefing. “He tweeted last night that his team rented mobile phones that had previously been rented by U.S. security personnel connected to the recent visits, and that the text messages on them ought to have been deleted beforehand. There are references to keg parties. anything that you’re aware of on that front?”

According to the State Department’s transcript of the briefing, a bit of laughter followed the question.

“No, but we will have our embassy follow up on that one, for sure,” Nulan responded.

The briefing ended after the questioner responded, “Okay,” and Nulan thanked the reporters in attendance.

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