WASHINGTON — An armed man who jumped the White House fence this month made it far deeper into the mansion than previously disclosed, overpowering a Secret Service agent inside the North Portico entrance and running through the ceremonial East Room before he was tackled, according to a member of Congress familiar with the details of the incident.
The man, Omar J. Gonzalez, who had a knife, was stopped as he tried to enter the Green Room, a parlor used for receptions and teas, said the congressman, Representative Jason Chaffetz of Utah, the Republican chairman of a subcommittee looking into the security breach. Earlier, Secret Service officials indicated that Mr. Gonzalez, 42, had only made it steps inside the North Portico after running through the door.
The new development, first reported by The Washington Post, raised immediate questions about whether the Secret Service had been forthright in its initial accounts of the episode. It will set the stage for an explosive congressional hearing on Tuesday when lawmakers say they intend to grill Julia Pierson, the director of the Secret Service, about whether an undisciplined culture inside the long-heralded agency has eroded its ability to protect the president and his family.
It sounds like the entire Secret Service needs an over-haul. There have just been too many incidents in recent years that compromise our president and our national security. This issue transcends all political party and needs to be dealt with swiftly and severely. If heads roll, TFB. Its past the time for internal correction. Perhaps this is just the job for Congress, as long as they stick to topic and don’t try to bring in politics.
Sequestration cuts imposed by republicans have serious consequences and this is a very good example of that.
Sequestration has hurt many things. Time to end it.
@Starry flights
Riiiiiight….
just like those cuts were responsible for the drunken parties and prostitute use by the Secret Service.
They have become complacent.
Sometimes agencies just get corrupt and need to do a little more than reboot. It sounds like reassignment all the way around might be a really good thing.
Any losses from sequestration can be restored by the National Security breifings he skipped. Now, what were you saying about consequences.
@ Blue: how does that work? If they have more National Security Briefings, does the money go back in the budget?
As usual, Joe Scarborough is making an ass of himself over the issue. He is calling for Pierson’s head.
Josh Earnest continues to report that President Obama continues to support the Secret Service.
Earnest is feisty. He is handing it right back to Scarborough. Ah. Life is good. Joe is such a blow hard.
I’m glad Pierson resigned, after hearing her obfuscations in front of the subcommittee. Liars are scary.
I didn’t listen today. I think often the bosses get hung for the mistakes of others. I felt that happened with the VA. Most of the time by the time the CEOs of the agencies are aware of whatever it is that is happening, they are in the middle of an unstoppable sh!tstorm.
Let’s face it, as we move up the ladder of success, much effort is made to keep the big boss from finding out stuff.
The tone is set from the top. Whether there is a team environment that encourages good and bad news in an effort to solve problems or the boss is such a poor manager that information is filtered to reflect the bosses ego are two very different things. My sense is that Pierson was never qualified, was not able to say no to senior WH advisors and lost the support and trust of her troops. Its a pretty small closed shop – used to getting its way in all things budget and management. It is also true that she was required to report through the Sectretary of DHS, hence the line that she “assumed that the breeches were being reported to the President.” As is more and more common in this Administration, she was sacrified, perhaps appropriately given the nature of the responsibility.
She had more than 30 years of service. I expect that the secret service has been such a collection of good ole boys that nothing short of complete reassignment would solve the problem. Maybe some of the elite White House folks need to go to their job elsewhere and some of those out in the field need to be brought in…sort of a weeding out of the elite.
I expect that agency was just corrupt. sometimes a few bad apples do ruin the whole bunch. the people I have known over the years have been fine people, at least surfacely. Who knows what people do when no one is watching.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/pierson-failed-to-provide-fresh-start-for-secret-service-that-administration-wanted/2014/10/01/51a642a2-49a8-11e4-891d-713f052086a0_story.html?hpid=z1
What’s the big fuss over one undocumented visitor to the White House? He doesn’t have a criminal record. Why should a fence along some arbitrary border keep him from following his dreams?
As far as I’m concerned he should be allowed to wander the White House as long as he promises to appear in court some number of months or years later. (Because of the seriousness of this incident, maybe he should have to pinkie-swear it)
Then as part of Comprehensive Secret Service Reform, he can stay at the White House permanently.
Furby, I believe he was documented. He was a vet with Ptsd.
I think the trespass metaphor for immigrants is bogus. The American economy and our society is not a finite resource nor is it private property. But if you want a parable…
A guy gets angry that people keep passing him on the right and honk their horns when he is doing nearly the speed limit in the left-most lane on the highway he takes to work each day. The police are not enforcing the speed limits on “his” freeway because they have decided that it is more dangerous and a bigger disruption to the smooth flow of traffic to pull people over for speeding during rush hour than to simply let them speed as long as they don’t engage in reckless driving. This guy and 2 friends decide that they have had enough of police inaction in the face of lawlessness and set their cruise control to 55 mph (because that gives them the best fuel economy) and drive side-by-side down the highway preventing people from passing. A traffic jam is created behind them while an empty road opens up ahead. Some people end up late for work or miss appointments. Several accidents are the direct result. When asked about it he replied: What part of Speed Limit don’t you understand?
The White House visitor had papers? Well, by all means he should stay then. I mean all he was doing was trying to visit the parts of the White House Americans won’t visit.
I’m not trying to make a particularly serious point. I’m mostly just having some fun pointing out how similar the language is and that some how one fence and border must be sacrosanct and another is just an arbitrary line. The funny thing is, you could make an argument that the White House fence jumper had more right to be there than the undocumented illegals (or whatever the latest euphemism is) do to be living in the US.
If the American economy and society aren’t a finite resource, then I really need a raise. I’ve got to get some of those infinity dollar bills. And if the White House is private property, I apparently missed that part of the Constitution. Could have sworn it was public property.
You probably do need a raise. Most Americans need a raise. Corporations are sitting on their cash.
Notice I am ignoring your non-point. I guess I find it disturbing that a vet, even a crazy one, is mistaken for one of your “illegals.”