Secret Service chief says intruder was recognized

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Secret Service director says at least two of her uniformed officers recognized a man just before he jumped the White House fence from an earlier troubling encounter with him. But she acknowledged that they never approached him that day or reported his presence to superiors.

Secret Service Director Julia Pierson told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Tuesday that two officers on Sept. 19 recognized the intruder, Omar J. Gonzalez, from their earlier interview with him, on Aug. 25. Gonzalez was stopped that day while carrying a small hatchet near the fence line south of the White House.