Following a newspaper investigation recently by the Washington Post which claimed that the Secret Service at the White House bungled a potentially deadly shooting, the security establishment is defending its stance on the incident.
On Sunday, deputy national security advisor Tony Blinken spoke on CNN’s State of the Union about the incredible task carried out by Secret Service employees,
“The men and women of the Secret Service put their lives on the line for the president of the United States, his family and folks working in the White House every single day, 24 hours a day. Their task is incredible and the burden that they bear is incredible.”
The Washington Post report suggested that the Secret Service was slow and confused in its response to gunman, Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez, who was arrested for firing shots at the White House from a nearby street.
The report was published following the latest incident at the White House involving Omar J. Gonzales who was arrested and charged with unlawful entry into the White House complex when he eluded several layers of security.
Back in 2011, the White House shooting involving Hernandez was more serious though as he hit a window on the second floor very close to the first family’s formal living room.
As the Post reported, “At least seven bullets struck the upstairs residence of the White House, flying some 700 yards across the South Lawn.”
Even though Hernandez was arrested by the Secret Service it took them a full five days to even acknowledge that the bullets hit the White House’s second floor, and that was only after a housekeeper noticed broken glass.
Although the President and his wife Michelle weren’t home at the time of that shooting, Obama was reportedly “extremely upset” on his return.
In its defense, the Secret Service said it reacted immediately after the shots were fired. It notified police and did a protective sweep during which it found the suspect’s vehicle and searched it.
Blinken said the director of the Secret Service, Julia Pierson, has been looking into the incident , “The Secret Service is investigating this and they will take any steps necessary to correct any deficiencies,” he said.
