Secret Service director resigns

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said he accepted her resignation and saluted her 30 years of service.

Joseph Clancy, formerly a special agent in charge of the Protective Division of the Secret Service, will lead the agency until Obama names a replacement.

“I appreciate his willingness to leave his position in the private sector on very short notice and return to public service for a period,” Johnson said.

Just minutes after Johnson announced Pierson’s resignation, White House press secretary Josh Earnest held a briefing with reporters.

He said Obama had a chance to speak to Pierson earlier after she had offered her resignation to Johnson.

Obama expressed “his appreciation for her service to the agency and the country,” Earnest said. “She dedicated more than 30 years of her life … to the important work that they did over there.”

By Wednesday afternoon, Obama had concluded that new leadership at the agency was required “in light of recent and accumulating reports about the agency” and security breaches, Earnest said.

Earlier Wednesday, he had said Obama’s continued to maintain confidence in Pierson’s ability to serve as director.

Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas aided by the department’s general counsel will assume control of the ongoing inquiry of the Secret Service fence-jumping incident that occurred at the White House on Sept. 19.

Mayorkas should complete the review submit his findings to Johnson by Nov. 1.

Johnson also announced that he is forming an outside commission to investigate the Sept. 19 fence-jumping incident in which an intruder was able to gain access to the ceremonial heart of White House. Members will be named shortly, he said, and the commission has a deadline of Dec. 15 to submit its recommendations.

The panel also will consider recommendations for potential new directors to include recommendations from outside the Secret Service.

“I will also request that the panel advise me about whether it believes, given the series of recent events, there should be a review of broader issues concerning the Secret Service,” he said. “The security of the White House compound should be the panel’s primary and immediate priority.”

“It is worth repeating that the Secret Service is one of the finest official protection services in the world, consisting of men and women who are highly trained and skilled professionals prepared to put their own lives on the line in a second’s notice for the people they protect,” he said.

Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, who led the Congressional charge to investigate the Secret Service breaches and forcefully called her resignation Wednesday, said he is “pleased” she has decided to step down.

He also said Congress should create a blue-ribbon commission to conduct an “independent, comprehensive review of the Secret Service.”

“Director Pierson’s resignation is a matter of national security and I am pleased she is stepping down,” he said. “The position should be filled immediately by new leadership from outside the Secret Service for a fresh start.”

“Every day, honorable men and women put their lives in danger to protect the President, his family and others within the administration,” he continued. “Unfortunately, the problems that have plagued the Secret Service are longstanding and go beyond one individual.”

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., who chairs the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said the problems with the Secret Service predate Pierson’s tenure and “her resignation certainly does not resolve them.”

“Yesterday, the committee called for an outside review by independent experts. Today, Homeland Security Jeh Johnson today agreed that such a review is critical,” he said. “The Oversight Committee will continue to examine clear and serious agency failures at the Secret Service that have been exposed. While serious questions surround the Secret Service, Director Pierson served her country with honor and has my gratitude for her efforts.”

Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., the ranking member of the oversight panel, who suggested he was leaning toward calling for her resignation Wednesday morning, said he had spoken to Pierson earlier Wednesday and thanked her for her 30 years of service.

“I absolutely respect her decision, and now we have to ensure that we focus on the difficult work of fully restoring the Secret Service to its rightful status as the most elite protective service in the world,” Cummings said. “I am pleased that Secretary Johnson has agreed with our suggestion to establish an independent panel of outside experts to begin to review these issues, which is a critical step.”

This article was originally published at 3:34 p.m. and has been updated.