WASHINGTON — Secret Service Director Julia Pierson apologized and took responsibility Tuesday for the security breach at the White House on Sept. 19 when a man armed with a knife jumped the fence and ran into the president’s home.
“It’s clear that our security plan was not properly executed,” she said. “This is unacceptable, and I take full responsibility. And I will make sure that it does not happen again.”
The apology came before the House Oversight Committee, one day after a report that intruder Omar Gonzalez, 42, made it deeper into the White House than previously thought.
Initially, the Secret Service claimed that Gonzalez, who received an IED injury to his foot while serving in the Army in Iraq, was nabbed immediately after going through the front door of the North Portico. On Monday, the Washington Post reported additional details of the incident, including word that the alarm meant to alert agents in the event of an intruder had been muted. As a result, Gonzalez got by the agent posted at the entrance.
Gonzalez dashed past the stairway to the first family’s living quarters and into the East Room, the largest room in the White House, often used for receptions and ceremonies. He was tackled by a guard at the entrance to the Green Room, a smaller parlor.
The newspaper also said the Secret Service apparently failed initially to thoroughly investigate a 2011 scare when bullets were fired into the White House. Agents took cover and drew their weapons, but received a call to stand down, that the sound was just a backfiring truck. Four days later, a housekeeper discovered broken glass and debris where a bullet had struck. The 2011 attack on the executive mansion was just as upsetting to the lawmakers as last week’s breach.
Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., became heated as he grilled Pierson, who was appointed director 16 months ago but was the agency’s chief of staff at the time of the incident. He asked her to explain why the Secret Service did not conduct a thorough search of the premises.
“Can you speak to why a housekeeper found [the gunfire damage] and your department did not?” Gowdy asked.
“Housekeepers routinely work in the residence of the first family,” Pierson responded, calmly.
“The initial shooting incident occurred at 9:30 at night. It’s difficult to see at night–”
“How about hear,” Gowdy interjected, “Can you hear at night?”
More than one of the lawmakers raised the question of terrorism, demanding to know if the Secret Service would be able to handle a coordinated assault on the White House carried out by multiple attackers.
“Americans face real danger as we serve interests abroad,” said Oversight Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif. “… It is a time of great peril. We are engaged in a battle against ISIL as we speak, but that is not limited to foreign soil. Americans know that the next attempt to take the White House may not be by a crazed, solo, knife-wielding veteran with PTSD. It could well be a planned attack from a terrorist organization.”
Gonzalez has been detained at least twice before this incident.
On Aug. 25, he was stopped by Secret Service agents while walking near the White House south fence with a hatchet in his waistband. Gonzalez told agents that he had been camping in the area — and Pierson said agents subsequently searched his car and turned up camping gear.
On July 19, he was charged with evading arrest and possession of a weapon after being pulled over for driving recklessly in Wythe County, Virginia. He was in the possession of 11 weapons, including a sniper rifle and a sawed-off shotgun. He also had a map with a line leading to the White House, according to the Virginia State Police. He told police officers that he planned to go sightseeing.
He is facing charges of unlawfully entering a restricted building or grounds while carrying a deadly or dangerous weapon. If convicted, the charges carry a sentence of up to ten years. A judge ordered Gonzalez held without bail until Oct. 1.
Pierson offered no concrete plans for the agency, but said she was committed to a thorough investigation of the case, as well as existing White House security protocols.
Based on the results of that review, she said, the agency will make “a coordinated, informed effort to make any and all adjustments including training and personnel actions that properly ensure the safety and security of the president and the first family and the White House.”