Secret Service director Pierson resigns over security breaches
BY Agencies3 Oct 2014 1:13 AM GMT
Agencies3 Oct 2014 1:13 AM GMT
‘On Thursday, Julia Pierson, the Director of the United States Secret Service, offered her resignation, and I accepted it,’ Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said in a statement.
Johnson appointed Joseph Clancy to serve as interim acting director until a permanent replacement for Pierson, who only took up her post 18 months ago after a prostitution scandal erupted within the agency.
An independent panel would be named to probe the September 19 incident, which saw homeless US army veteran Omar Gonzalez allegedly jump the White House fence and run into the residence, Johnson said.
Gonzalez pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to three counts including unlawfully entering a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon.
Outraged US lawmakers grilled Pierson on Tuesday over a series of security breaches, including an incident last month in which an armed security contractor with a criminal record was allowed into an elevator with President Barack Obama when he visited Atlanta, Georgia.
Meanwhile, the inquiry continues into how the Army veteran launched over the fence and was able to sprint up to the front door, burst into the White House and run into the ornate East Room.Neither President Barack Obama nor the first family were at home at the time of the incident.
Even some high-ranking Democrats had turned against Pierson, who was in the job for less than two years. In an interview on Wednesday, Rep. Elijah Cummings, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, where Tuesday’s hearing took place, said he thought Pierson -- who he referred to as ‘this lady’ -- ‘has to go.’
Republicans also had called for Pierson to step down.‘It’s clear to me that the only way to solve the problem the Secret Service has is with new leadership,’ Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said.
‘What Julia Pierson describes as mistakes are major security failures on multiple fronts.’Graham said light security around Obama is ‘the worst possible signal to send to terrorists and our enemies around the world.’
After news of her resignation broke, lawmakers praised her decision to step down.‘The agency tasked with protecting the highest office in our land should be the crown jewel of federal law enforcement,’ Rep. Jason Chaffetz, who sits on the Oversight Committee, said in a statement.
Johnson appointed Joseph Clancy to serve as interim acting director until a permanent replacement for Pierson, who only took up her post 18 months ago after a prostitution scandal erupted within the agency.
An independent panel would be named to probe the September 19 incident, which saw homeless US army veteran Omar Gonzalez allegedly jump the White House fence and run into the residence, Johnson said.
Gonzalez pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to three counts including unlawfully entering a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon.
Outraged US lawmakers grilled Pierson on Tuesday over a series of security breaches, including an incident last month in which an armed security contractor with a criminal record was allowed into an elevator with President Barack Obama when he visited Atlanta, Georgia.
Meanwhile, the inquiry continues into how the Army veteran launched over the fence and was able to sprint up to the front door, burst into the White House and run into the ornate East Room.Neither President Barack Obama nor the first family were at home at the time of the incident.
Even some high-ranking Democrats had turned against Pierson, who was in the job for less than two years. In an interview on Wednesday, Rep. Elijah Cummings, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, where Tuesday’s hearing took place, said he thought Pierson -- who he referred to as ‘this lady’ -- ‘has to go.’
Republicans also had called for Pierson to step down.‘It’s clear to me that the only way to solve the problem the Secret Service has is with new leadership,’ Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said.
‘What Julia Pierson describes as mistakes are major security failures on multiple fronts.’Graham said light security around Obama is ‘the worst possible signal to send to terrorists and our enemies around the world.’
After news of her resignation broke, lawmakers praised her decision to step down.‘The agency tasked with protecting the highest office in our land should be the crown jewel of federal law enforcement,’ Rep. Jason Chaffetz, who sits on the Oversight Committee, said in a statement.
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