White House intruder had 800 rounds of ammo, had been stopped before

A decorated Iraq War veteran who scaled a fence on Friday night and got into the White House had more than 800 rounds of ammunition in his car and was arrested in July with a sniper rifle and a map marking the executive mansion, a federal prosecutor said on Monday. Omar Gonzalez, 42, was also stopped, but not arrested, in August walking by the White House with a hatchet in his waistband, federal prosecutor David Mudd told a federal judge. The previous interactions that Gonzalez had with the U.S. Secret Service is part of a sweeping internal review underway of how the agency failed to stop him.

[Gonzalez’s] preoccupation with the White House and accumulation of large amounts of ammunition in apparently a short period of time renders him a danger to the president.

David Mudd, federal prosecutor

The incident with Gonzalez follows a number of security lapses involving the president’s security detail, including a prostitution scandal in 2012. Although Obama and his family were not home at the time, the incident raised questions about the U.S. Secret Service’s White House security procedures. The Secret Service also faced scrutiny after a 2009 breach involving an uninvited couple at a White House dinner, although a 2013 Department of Homeland Security report found no evidence of misconduct or inappropriate behavior at the Secret Service.

Secret Service does a great job. And I’m grateful for the sacrifices they make on my behalf and my family’s behalf.

President Barack Obama