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Mar. 4, 2015: U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder addresses reporters in Washington. (Reuters)

Attorney General Eric Holder sent a memo to employees of the Department of Justice Friday, reminding them that soliciting prostitutes is against agency rules and that violation of those rules could lead to suspension or termination.

The solicitation of prostitution threatens the core mission of the Department, not simply because it invites extortion, blackmail, and leaks of sensitive or classified information, but also because it undermines the Department's efforts to eradicate the scourge of human trafficking, the memo said.

The memo was sent weeks after a Justice Department watchdog report alleged several Drug Enforcement Administration agents attended "sex parties" with prostitutes in an unnamed host country paid for by local drug cartels.

The alleged parties took place over a period of several years. According to the report by the Justice Department inspector general, the parties were even held in agents' U.S. government-leased quarters.

The IG report found such allegations often went unreported or underreported, or were not pursued properly.

Holder said in the memo Friday that the prohibition on soliciting prostitutes also applies when employees are off duty, or in a foreign country where prostitution is legal.

The Department of Justice is in the process of reviewing security clearances of the DEA employees who attended the parties, and is investigating the disciplinary process following the accusations of sexual misconduct, a senior law enforcement official told Fox News.

"Department leadership takes very seriously the allegations laid out in the IG's report and acted quickly to remind all employees that they are prohibited from participating in commercial sex acts and will be suspended or terminated for violating the policy, a Justice Department spokeswoman said in a statement Friday.

The Associated Press and Fox News Matt Dean contributed to this report.

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Holder warns DOJ employees against soliciting prostitutes

On Friday, Attorney General Eric Holder issued a memo to everyone in the Department of Justice reminding them that they should not become customers in the commercial sex trade-- and not just because of the threat of extortion or blackmail, either.

"Regardless of whether prostitution is legal or tolerated in a particular jurisdiction," Holder wrote, "soliciting prostitutes creates a greater demand for human trafficking victims and a consequent increase in the number of minor and adult persons trafficked into commercial sex slavery."

While there's some debate, a 2012 study largely reinforces Holder's point. "On average," its authors write, "countries with legalized prostitution experience a larger degree of reported human trafficking inflows." And they have a scatterplot to demonstrate it.

It seems almost certain that the memo follows from revelations last month that agents with the DEA -- a branch of the Department of Justice -- attended sex parties hosted by Colombian cartels. We will note, however, that the general response to that news was not, "Oh, but prostitution is legal in Colombia." It was: "Pardon?"

Clearly, FBI agents and other members of the federal law enforcement system should not, of their own volition, be soliciting prostitutes where it is illegal. One hopes, fervently, that Holder's memo was not meant to remind his wards that they should not actively break the law; if that was its intent, the last few days (or, I suppose, weeks or months) before he leaves his position will be spent crafting a series of hundreds of similar memos. "SUBJECT: Prohibition on murder." "SUBJECT: Prohibition on scalping sports tickets." "SUBJECT: Prohibition on espionage." Et cetera.

The case for why those agents should not maintain the company of prostitutes hired by those they are investigating is slightly less clear-cut, but not entirely so. While the things to which I have been invited but which I'd prefer not to attend skew more toward the mundane than "drug sex parties," I think most adults have figured out ways in which to politely decline invitations that it's wiser for them to avoid. Will this become the new "If you're a cop, you have to tell me," litmus test from law-breakers? If so, I have all of the confidence in the world that our professional law enforcement agents will be able to figure out how to walk that line. And there will be a lot of prostitutes on standby near criminal activity, just in case.

Then there's the but-it's-legal-here! argument. This is what legal experts call "opening a can of worms." Sure, there are things that are illegal in, say, Singapore that are commonplace in the United States. And there are things in, say, Colombia that are illegal here. Hell, there are things that are legal in Washington, D.C., that are illegal in Maryland (although federal agents should probably avoid the particular thing I am thinking of). Laws are complicated and not always brightly delineated even within a jurisdiction (think: prostitution in Nevada). I hope very much that federal law enforcement officials know clearly where certain things are and are not illegal; I hope too that they don't use that knowledge to roam around in the gray areas.

Anyway. No more prostitutes, FBI agents! What I would do if I were Holder is go around and hand out the memo to everyone individually. The people who are like, "Awww, man"? Maybe investigate them, if you have the resources.

Philip Bump writes about politics for The Fix. He is based in New York City.

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The Fix: Eric Holder would like to kindly remind Justice Department employees not to solicit prostitutes

On Friday, Attorney General Eric Holder issued a memo to everyone in the Department of Justice reminding them that they should not become customers in the commercial sex trade-- and not just because of the threat of extortion or blackmail, either.

"Regardless of whether prostitution is legal or tolerated in a particular jurisdiction," Holder wrote, "soliciting prostitutes creates a greater demand for human trafficking victims and a consequent increase in the number of minor and adult persons trafficked into commercial sex slavery."

While there's some debate, a 2012 study largely reinforces Holder's point. "On average," its authors write, "countries with legalized prostitution experience a larger degree of reported human trafficking inflows." And they have a scatterplot to demonstrate it.

It seems almost certain that the memo follows from revelations last month that agents with the DEA -- a branch of the Department of Justice -- attended sex parties hosted by Colombian cartels. We will note, however, that the general response to that news was not, "Oh, but prostitution is legal in Colombia." It was: "Pardon?"

Clearly, FBI agents and other members of the federal law enforcement system should not, of their own volition, be soliciting prostitutes where it is illegal. One hopes, fervently, that Holder's memo was not meant to remind his wards that they should not actively break the law; if that was its intent, the last few days (or, I suppose, weeks or months) before he leaves his position will be spent crafting a series of hundreds of similar memos. "SUBJECT: Prohibition on murder." "SUBJECT: Prohibition on scalping sports tickets." "SUBJECT: Prohibition on espionage." Et cetera.

The case for why those agents should not maintain the company of prostitutes hired by those they are investigating is slightly less clear-cut, but not entirely so. While the things to which I have been invited but which I'd prefer not to attend skew more toward the mundane than "drug sex parties," I think most adults have figured out ways in which to politely decline invitations that it's wiser for them to avoid. Will this become the new "If you're a cop, you have to tell me," litmus test from law-breakers? If so, I have all of the confidence in the world that our professional law enforcement agents will be able to figure out how to walk that line. And there will be a lot of prostitutes on standby near criminal activity, just in case.

Then there's the but-it's-legal-here! argument. This is what legal experts call "opening a can of worms." Sure, there are things that are illegal in, say, Singapore that are commonplace in the United States. And there are things in, say, Colombia that are illegal here. Hell, there are things that are legal in Washington, D.C., that are illegal in Maryland (although federal agents should probably avoid the particular thing I am thinking of). Laws are complicated and not always brightly delineated even within a jurisdiction (think: prostitution in Nevada). I hope very much that federal law enforcement officials know clearly where certain things are and are not illegal; I hope too that they don't use that knowledge to roam around in the gray areas.

Anyway. No more prostitutes, FBI agents! What I would do if I were Holder is go around and hand out the memo to everyone individually. The people who are like, "Awww, man"? Maybe investigate them, if you have the resources.

Philip Bump writes about politics for The Fix. He is based in New York City.

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Eric Holder would like to kindly remind Justice Department employees not to solicit prostitutes

Story highlights Attorney General Holder reiterates Justice Department policy on prostitutes Soliciting prostitutes is banned, even in places where it's legal, Holder says His memo comes weeks after a report involving DEA agents and prostitutes

No ifs, ands or buts -- and yes, that includes when and where prostitution is perfectly legal.

That was the message Friday from Attorney General Eric Holder to members of the U.S. Justice Department, which includes the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and other agencies.

"The solicitation of prostitution threatens the core mission of the department," Holder wrote in a memo to all personnel in the department he heads. "... Regardless of whether prostitution is legal or tolerated in a particular jurisdiction, soliciting prostitutes creates a greater demand for human trafficking and a consequent increase in the number of minor and adult persons trafficked into commercial sex slavery."

Holder doesn't mention specific cases of federal agents and prostitution in his memo. Nor is he dictating a new policy; the attorney general said only that he wanted "to reiterate to all department personnel, including attorneys and law enforcement officers, that they are prohibited from soliciting, procuring or accepting commercial sex."

Agents behaving badly overseas

The directive comes a few weeks after a Justice Department inspector general report found DEA agents in foreign postings attended sex parties with prostitutes paid for by drug cartels, among other indiscretions.

That report, by department Inspector General Michael Horowitz, cited light punishments and poor handling of sexual misconduct cases at DEA and other Justice Department agencies.

Justice Department employees don't have a monopoly on such stories: In 2012, a group of agents and officers in the Secret Service -- which is part of the Department of Homeland Security -- and officers sent to Colombia ahead of President Barack Obama were relieved of duty and returned home amid allegations of misconduct that involved prostitution. That prostitute visit was arranged for by a DEA agent stationed in Colombia, according to Horowitz's office.

If someone from the ATF, FBI, Federal Bureau of Prisons or a federal prosecutor is caught with a prostitute they'll be suspended or fired, according to Holder's memo.

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No hookers, attorney general tells feds

The Department of Justice sent a memo to its employeesFridayto remind them that soliciting prostitutes on- or off-duty is a violation of department policy.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder sent the memo to his department personnel. The memo, obtained by The Washington Post, shows the federal leader urging everyone on the department payroll including attorneys and law enforcement officers to consider the ramifications of their off-duty actions.

The Department of Justice is measured by the conduct of those who work on its behalf, Mr. Holder said in the memo. The solicitation of prostitution threatens the core mission of the Department, not simply because it invites extortion, blackmail, and leaks of sensitive or classified information, but also because it undermines the Departments efforts to eradicate the scourge of human trafficking.

Regardless of whether prostitution is legal or tolerated in a particular jurisdiction, soliciting prostitutes creates a greater demand for human trafficking victims and a consequent increase in the number of minor and adult persons trafficked into commercial sex slavery, Mr. Holder said.

The memo comes just as the House Judiciary Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations Subcommittee prepares to hold a hearing on misconduct in federal enforcement law and recent behavioral problems exhibited by members of the Secret Service, who were caught soliciting prostitutes while off-duty.

Drug Enforcement Administration agents who engaged in sex parties with prostitutes that may have been provided to them by the Colombian drug cartels are also high on the subcommittees agents gone wild watch list.

Justice officials say they will review the security clearances of those DEA agents accused of engaging in sexual misconduct while working in Colombia to ensure that they do not present a security risk to the agency, The Post reported. The memo shows that those agents could be suspended or fired.

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Eric Holder to Justice Dept. employees: Just say no to sex parties