WASHINGTON
The director of the U.S. Secret Service acknowledged Tuesday that recent failures of officers to stop intruders at the White House were "unacceptable."
“It’s clear that our security plan was not properly executed. This is unacceptable and I take full responsibility," Julia Pierson said, during a hearing of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
Pierson remained calm under fire from lawmakers who grilled her about security lapses by the agency charged with protecting the president and his family.
According to Pierson, the Secret Service has apprehended 16 individuals who have jumped the White House fence in the last five years, including six this year alone.
She noted, however, that except for an incident earlier this month, none of the intruders were able to advance more than one third of the property’s lawn before being caught by officers.
Omar Gonzalez scaled the north fence of the White House on Sept. 19 and crossed the lawn while ignoring verbal commands from Secret Service Uniformed Division officers. He was able to enter through the front door and was subsequently arrested on the state floor. He was carrying a knife when arrested.
Pierson was also grilled about shots fired at the White House in November 2011.
In that incident, Oscar R. Ortega-Hernandez fired at the White House with a rifle but it took the Secret Service four days to realize that the residence had been hit.
A Washington Post article on Saturday unveiled the details of the shooting that was discovered only "because a housekeeper noticed broken glass and a chunk of cement on the floor."
"The agency had confirmed a shooting had occurred but wrongly insisted the gunfire was never aimed at the White House," the Post said. "Instead, Secret Service supervisors theorized, gang members in separate cars got in a gunfight near the White House’s front lawn."
The article was a subject of Tuesday’s hearing as the director was questioned about claims made by the newspaper that some of the officers who were at the scene were afraid to dispute their boss’ conclusions although they were sure shots were fired.
The director acknowledged that she had read the article but was troubled by the accounts in it. "I have asked my Office of Professional Responsibility to retrieve the file and those records,” she said adding that the officers’ statement in interviews that occurred with the Secret Service were different than those to the FBI and investigators conducting the investigation.
Pierson was appointed director by President Barack Obama to help improve the image of the storied agency following a prostitution scandal in Cartagena, Colombia, in 2012 when some agents engaged in misconduct while providing security for Obama’s trip there for the Summit of the Americas.
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