Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif. wants Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson to turn over by Monday evening a readable copy of a report detailing Secret Service missteps during a Sept. 19 White House security breach.
Among the problems revealed in the report is that a White House security tactical unit had never before entered the White House and were not trained to navigate the interior of the mansion.
Issa, who chairs the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, set a Monday deadline for Johnson to turn over the report, which details how a mentally unstable man was able to scale a White House fence and enter far inside the mansion.
Lawmakers have been able to view the report, but parts have been blacked out and they were not allowed to keep a copy for further review.
“Members of the committee need permanent access to the report so that they can make informed decisions about how to address the serious questions that this incident raised about the culture at the U.S. Secret Service,” Issa said in a letter to Johnson.
Details of the report, leaked to the media, revealed that Omar Gonzalez was able to sprint past a canine officer who was talking on his personal cell phone and barged past a female police officer stationed at the unlocked North Portico door. He was eventually tackled by an off-duty officer.
The report also revealed that a tactical unit responding to the incident refrained from entering the White House because they were unsure of the layout of the mansion.
“The report includes a number of very concerning details, including, among other things, that the Secret Service Emergency Response Team members who responded to the incursion had never been inside the White House and were therefore unprepared to pursue Omar Gonzalez after he entered the North Portico,” Issa said in the letter.
