Secret Service Director Julia Pierson said she “takes full responsibility” for a recent incident in which a White House intruder reached the ceremonial heart of the White House before being detained.
The Secret Service agents did not follow security protocols properly on Sept. 19 when a man scaled the fence and sprinted into the White House front door and managed to reach the East Room – a breach Pierson said is unacceptable and “will never happen again.”
“I am here today to address the concern that we all share, following the incident on Sept. 19 at the White House. It is clear that our security plan was not executed properly,” she told lawmakers at a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing Tuesday.
“I take full responsibility; what happened is unacceptable and it will never happen again.”
