White House Fence Jumper Got Further Than First Reported--First Family Could Have Been In Danger

This is both scary and anger inducing, the White House fence jumper who supposedly was caught inside the front door of the White House carrying a knife before getting apprehended got much further than first reported. After darting past a guard at the front, Omar Gonzalez, who had a knife, went past the stairway that leads up to the first family’s living quarters. He then ran into the East Room, which is often used for receptions and or presidential addresses. Thank God he did not go up the stairs as Michelle Obama's mother was home at the time.

According to the Washington Post the intruder jumped the fence, sprinted through the front door, was confronted by a female Secret Service agent, who he overpowered, and ran through much of the main floor before begin apprehended,.

We already know the front door was unlocked, and the dogs weren't released, but additionally an alarm box near the front entrance designed to alert guards to an intruder was muted — apparently at the request of the usher’s office, an unnamed Secret Service official told WAPO

Gonzalez was only brought down near a door leading to the Green Room, a parlor adjacent to the East Room of the White House that is used for formal events including bill signings, press conferences, receptions and ceremonies.

And remember this security breach on Sept. 19, occurred just minutes after President Obama, his daughters and one of their friends boarded the presidential helicopter for a weekend getaway to Camp David.

Secret Service Director Julia Pierson has said the breach was “unacceptable” to her, and on Friday she briefed President Obama on her plans to shore up security.

Pierson is expected to face tough questions about the Gonzalez incident Tuesday at a hearing by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. The hearing is likely to cover a number of security lapses by the agency, including new revelations published over the weekend by The Washington Post about the failure to identify and properly investigate a 2011 shooting attack on the White House.

WAPO reported over the weekend that the Secret Service did not immediately respond to shots fired at the White House in 2011, amid what the agency describes as uncertainty about where the shots originated. Four days later, it was discovered that at least one of the shots broke the glass of a window on the third level of the mansion, the Secret Service said.

At the time of the 2011 breach, the president and first lady Michelle Obama were away, but their daughters were in Washington — one home and the other due to return that night.

These breaches of security are more than unacceptable, it's disgusting. There is no excuse not to protect the President and his family. Even worse the White House is supposed to be the easiest place to protect the President.  I have to tell you--the Obamas are more patient about it than I would be. We are talking about protecting someone's kids and family. Here's hoping Ms Pierson gets hell at Tuesday's hearing.