I could not be more appalled at the revelation that the Secret Service allowed an armed man deep within the White House and actually allowed him access to the Obama family’s living quarters, even though he did not opt to climb the stairs to them. To make matters worse, the Secret Service seems more intent on covering up their blunders than addressing their problems. Frankly, there is NO EXCUSE!!!
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… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <NY Times>
Rachel Maddow explained the blunders.
People who cannot view MSMBC video can see this on YouTube.
First, in my opinion, Julia Pierson has to go. She has proven her inability to manage the agencty and the aftermath of the inability.
Second, return Secret Service to Treasury. Being part of Homeland Security’s alphabet soup has taken away their unique elite status.
Third, return the director’s job to presidential appointment without Congressional approval. Protecting our key officials is too important to politicize.
Fourth, restore the funding Republicans gutted from their budget.
I will probably have more suggestions as I learn more.
Finally, I would be just as angry about this, even if Crawford Caligula, aka Potomac Pinocchio, aka Texas Torquemada, were still in the White House.
19 Responses to “No Excuse!!!”
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I watched the whole public hearing. I too am surprised an idiot could get that far, but the grilling the director took from Issa had little to do with finding out what went wrong, or correcting problems, but making points against a democratic administration during an election year. This is the same guy who is pushing the Bengahzi investigation to an absurd level for partisan reasons only. As usual nothing will get fixed while the politicians are more interested in politics than running a complicated government system.
Not unexpected, but I was surprised, and alarmed given the documented ineptitude of the Secret Service, that Pres. Obama has had THREE TIMES as many threats on his life as other presidents.
http://www.vox.com/2014/9/29/6859903/president-obama-has-faced-three-times-as-many-threats-on-his-life-as
Plus I'm beginning to wonder if some of those Teabaggers – like Rep. Lanborn (TGOP-CO) openly committing sedition by encouraging United States Generals to NOT – repeat NOT – follow orders of their Commander in Chief have also been in cahoots with the Secret Service encouraging them also to not follow their oaths.
http://www.politicususa.com/2014/09/27/seditious-republicans-spend-paid-vacation-military-generals-resign.html
And yes, under 18 U.S. Code § 2387, this is Sedition
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2387
Phil P on Care2 makes an interesting point: "With all the macho assholes in the Service, one way to get rid of a boss you don't like, especially if she's female, is to execute some carefully planed screw-ups when the opportunity presents itself and where the blame filters to the top. Just saying."
Whether he is right or whether there was a conspiracy (of course bearing in mind that neither might be true) it is interesting that this happened RIGHT AFTER the Obamas had left the building. It is tempting to shrug this off with conspirators being stupid, but I am not so sure of that. What if, on some level, the GOP really does know (or at least fear) how beloved Obama is and knows (or fears) that they would implode if they actually hurt him? Whether you suspect the Koch Brothers or the Secret Service itself, the timing of this was interesting to say the least.
“President Barack Obama Is the Most Threatened President In History.”
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/11/25/1164628/–President-Barack-Obama-Is-the-Most-Threatened-President-In-History
Barack Obama faces 30 death threats a day, stretching US Secret Service
US President Barack Obama is the target of more than 30 potential death threats a day and is being protected by an increasingly over-stretched and under-resourced Secret Service, according to a new book.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/barackobama/5967942/Barack-Obama-faces-30-death-threats-a-day-stretching-US-Secret-Service.html
Too easy to dismiss Julia Pierson as she is a “woman” in a nearly an all male dominantly field as in the SS. Julia accepted full responsibility for the “intruder” incident. “She does not need Senate confirmation for the post, which White House officials said would be announced Tuesday afternoon.” “Obama’s selection of Pierson comes after an extraordinarily difficult year at the service, and amid calls that the next director make internal changes at the agency whose masculine culture was exposed during an overseas trip last year.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-to-name-julia-pierson-as-new-secret-service-director/2013/03/26/b89c655c-963c-11e2-8b4e-0b56f26f28de_story.html
Get the SS out of the Homeland Security’s umbrella and become an independent agency and free from and of political partisanship. In an ever changing society, the SS should drop the division of counterfeiting, financial institution fraud, computer and telecommunications fraud, false identification documents, access device fraud, advance fee fraud, electronic funds transfers and money laundering. These other divisions, duties can be easily absorbed by the Homeland Security. The SS should concentrate solely on protecting the President.
And, yes, …”restore the funding Republicans gutted from their budget”, an obvious partisan, racist, sore-loser move done by the GOP/TP group. Start adding more SS agents to the rolls, list. The people (men) should get over the fact that their boss is a woman and get on with their jobs.
The Secret Serviec is actually a divion of the Treasury and was originally set up to catch counterfeiters,etc. Guarding the President came later. Maybe a new agency needs to be formed since they seem intent on negleting the duties of protecting him.
Secret Service was transferred to Homeland Security in 2003 when the new Department was formed. I think it should be returned to Treasury myself.
My mistake. I was going to come back last night and correct my statement but I fell asleep. I think it should be a separate entity or else revert back to the Treasury.
Thank you Patty and Joanne D, I should remember this but I blame it on a TBI and old age… 😆
Jim, I agree with you.
Secret Service chief quits due to security lapses
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/secret-service-chief-resigns-amid-security-lapses/ar-BB6QzG2
I agree there is no excuse. I am sure The Frist Lady Michelle Obama was not very happy I think Obama gave her a piece of his mind.
A good Start… 🙄
Secret Service Director Julia Pierson abruptly resigned Wednesday, October 1, 2014
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/secret-service-director-julia-pierson-resigns/
Pierson has resigned, now there will be a witch hunt on Capitol Hill by the Republicans. You are right, Steve, Issa will use this against the administration.
I agree, TC, the Secret service should be removed from HOmeland Security.
Something that the Republicanus/Teabaggers will add to they war cry . . . it was Benghazi! and now it will be Benghazi! Secret Service! . . . a battle cry almost like Remember the Alamo!
As in the Benghazi hearings, Issa (domesticated ISILesque) will claw tooth and nail at the very fabric of the Secret Service, totally ignoring the facts, one of which is the funding cut for the Secret Service, as it was with Benghazi.
I find it painfully amusing that too few people acknowledge that the Republicanus/Teabagger dominated Congress are the ones that slashed the budgets of embassies and the Secret Service to the point of endangering operations, and yet are also the first to cry foul, getting their knickers in such a twist that the blood supply to their pea sized brains is cut off.
Reading some of the comments, it occurs to me that there will be conspiracy theories galore floating out of the woodwork.
My understanding is that the agency tasked with the President's safety and security has been delinquent on other occasions, too. Recently, agents allowed a man (who later proved to be a convicted felon armed with a gun) to board an elevator containing President Obama. The agents hadn't bothered to search the guy, a clear dereliction of duty and a sign of gross incompetence. Could the Secret Service be complicit in an assassination plot? I wouldn't rule out the possibility; when countries fail, it's hard to tell where anyone's loyalties lie.
Thanks all Pit Stop. She didn't quit until Obama fired her butt!!
Phil, It the time I wrote this, I didn't know about that incident. More important, at that time, neither did Obama.
I am utterly horrified to hear this – we always thought the Secret Service were meticulous in their care of the President – I remember hearing that when he stayed at Buckingham Palace the windows in his suite had to be replaced with bullet proof glass, and lots of similar stories – so this comes as a horrible shock!