The Secret Service Lied As Intruder Made It Hundreds Of Feet Into White House

There are serious problems at the Secret Service as a new report reveals that the intruder who breached security made it hundreds of feet into the White House.

The Washington Post reported,

The man who jumped the White House fence this month and sprinted through the front door made it much farther into the building than previously known, overpowering one Secret Service officer and running through much of the main floor, according to three people familiar with the incident.

….

To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.

After barreling past the guard immediately inside the door, Gonzalez, who was carrying a knife, dashed past the stairway leading a half-flight up to the first family’s living quarters. He then ran into the 80-foot-long East Room, an ornate space often used for receptions or presidential addresses.

Gonzalez was tackled by a counterassault agent at the far southern end of the East Room. The intruder reached the doorway to the Green Room, a parlor overlooking the South Lawn with artwork and antique furniture, according to three people familiar with the incident.

The Secret Service originally claimed that the intruder was tackled just inside the door, but this is obviously not the truth. The fact that an armed intruder was able to so easily evade security and made deep into the White House should concern every American. Secret Service agents who are assigned to the White House detail put their lives on the line to protect the First Family, but presidential protection should not fail like this.

If the president or his family would have been home the result could have been tragic. Today’s report comes on the heels of it being revealed that the Secret Service ignored seven shots that were fired into the White House. It is the duty of the Secret Service to protect the president. Luckily, President Obama was not home when the intruder made it into the White House.

What if an intruder gets into the White House with a bomb, or tries to set the building on fire? The Secret Service deals with an historic number of threats against President Obama, but the lack of truthfulness about what happened raises concern about their ability to keep the president safe.

This isn’t a Democratic or Republican issue. It is an American issue. Now is the time for members of Congress to come together and investigate what is going on with the Secret Service.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association