WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US Secret Service chief faced withering criticism yesterday from lawmakers outraged over security breaches at the White House, as she pledged to revamp the agency to prevent an embarrassing repeat.
The grilling before a House panel came after a man carrying a knife scaled the White House fence on September 19 and made it deep into the presidential mansion — the latest in a string of scandals involving the Secret Service.
“It’s clear that our security plan was not properly executed,” Secret Service director Julia Pierson told lawmakers.
“This is unacceptable, and I take full responsibility. And I will make sure that it does not happen again.”
House Democrat Gerald Connolly called the most recent incident a “cascading set of mistakes” that put President Barack Obama and his family in jeopardy.
Obama “was obviously concerned about this situation,” said White House spokesman Josh Earnest.
But he said the president remained “absolutely” confident in Pierson’s leadership.
Not all lawmakers agreed.
“The jury is still out” on whether Pierson can regain trust, said House Democrat Elijah Cummings.
Lawmakers wanted to know how the intruder — a US Army veteran suffering from mental problems — could scale the fence, race 70 yards (64 metres) across the lawn and through unlocked front doors of the White House, knock down an agent, and run into the East Room without being stopped.
While Pierson testified, The Washington Post reported that the person who ultimately tackled the intruder was an off-duty Secret Service officer who was coincidentally walking through the house when the breach occurred.
Pierson, who has been the agency’s chief since March 2013, said a thorough investigation had been launched and she acknowledged that the elite service has had its “share of challenges” in recent years.
“I intend, over the coming months, to redouble my efforts, not only in response to this incident, but in general, to bring the Secret Service to a level of performance that lives up to the vital mission we perform,” she told the House Government Oversight Committee.
“Enhancements will be made and personnel actions will be taken.”
Committee chairman Darrell Issa said it was “amazing and unacceptable” that an intruder made it into the White House.
“Inexplicably, Omar Gonzalez breached at least ‘five rings’ of security,” Issa said.
“The fact is, the system broke down on September 19, as it did when the Salahis crashed a state dinner in November 2009, or when Oscar Ortega-Hernandez successfully shot at the White House on November 2011,” he said.