House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday she would like to see a top-down investigation of Secret Service procedures and the culture within the elite law enforcement agency, responding to a series of embarrassing missteps that could have put President Obama or his family at risk.
The California Democrat said there “has to be accountability” for the errors, although she stopped short of calling on agency Director Julia A. Pierson to step down.
“I do think the challenge may go beyond her, because some problems existed before she was there,” she told reporters at her weekly press conference.
Lawmakers from both parties are asking why an intruder was able to jump the White House fence this month and make it through a few rooms of the mansion before he was subdued. Also, a private security contractor with a gun was able to ride the elevator with Mr. Obama during his visit to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta two weeks ago.
The man, who has an arrest record, had been taking photos of the president and acting “unprofessionally,” according to the Washington Examiner, which first reported the story.
On Tuesday, lawmakers on the House oversight panel grilled Ms. Pierson over what seems to be a culture of covering up mistakes, rather than a transparent accounting of mistakes.
Mrs. Pelosi said she has confidence in her party’s top investigator, Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, to look into the matter.
“Protection for the president is really important for the reputation of the Secret Service … this is important and it has to be dealt with,” she said.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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