News Digest

Armed private contractor was allowed on elevator with Obama

An armed private security agent was allowed on an elevator with President Barack Obama earlier this month in Atlanta, in another security lapse for the embattled Secret Service. The incident occurred while Obama was visiting the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Sept. 16, and was first reported by the Washington Examiner and Washington Post. The security contractor with the CDC was operating the elevator carrying Obama and his Secret Service detail. The man began taking pictures and video of Obama on his phone, prompting the Secret Service to take him aside for questioning after they left the elevator, the agency official said. It was not until his supervisor appeared and asked for his gun that the Secret Service realize he was armed, the official said. Under agency rules, people with access to the president need special clearance to carry guns. A background check also showed the man had three previous convictions for assault and battery.

We are all outraged within the Secret Service at how this incident came to pass. It is self-evident mistakes were made.

Secret Service director Julia Pierson

The Atlanta incident occurred three days before a man with a knife jumped the White House fence in Washington and ran into the executive mansion. The White House intrusion has sparked sharp criticism of the agency responsible for protecting the president. Secret Service Director Julia Pierson told a congressional committee on Tuesday: “This is unacceptable and I take full responsibility.” She said the Secret Service had apprehended 16 fence jumpers in the last five years, including six this year. On Sept. 11, someone was caught seconds after scaling the fence. Pierson added that the agency was down about 550 employees from its optimal level, and there had been staff reductions following automatic spending cuts and “other fiscal constraints.”