Washington – The
director of the US Secret Service resigned Wednesday following a string of
lapses by the elite presidential protection branch, including one in which an
intruder ran through the front door of the White House. Continue......
“Today, Julia
Pierson, the Director of the United States Secret Service, offered her
resignation, and I accepted it,” Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said
in a statement.
Johnson appointed
Joseph Clancy to serve as interim acting director until a permanent replacement
for Pierson, who only took up her post 18 months ago after a prostitution
scandal erupted within the agency.
An independent
panel would be named to probe the September 19 incident, which saw homeless US
army veteran Omar Gonzalez allegedly jump the White House fence and run into
the residence, Johnson said.
Gonzalez pleaded
not guilty on Wednesday to three counts including unlawfully entering a
restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon.
Outraged US
lawmakers grilled Pierson on Tuesday over a series of security breaches,
including an incident last month in which an armed security contractor with a
criminal record was allowed into an elevator with President Barack Obama when
he visited Atlanta, Georgia.
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