Letter to Tom Carper, Chairman and Tom Coburn, Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs - Ayotte Calls for Homeland Security Committee Hearing on Security Failures Involving Secret Service

Letter

Dear Chairman Carper and Ranking Member Coburn:

I am writing regarding recent security breaches involving the U.S. Secret Service (USSS), including the September 19 incident involving an armed individual who jumped the White House fence and gained entry into the building. In light of this and other reported security failures involving the USSS, I request that the committee hold a hearing to investigate this serious matter.

On September 19, Omar Gonzalez was able to scale the 7 ½ foot fence on the north side of the White House. He then ran across the North Lawn of the White House unimpeded-approximately 70 feet-and entered the unlocked "front door" of the free world's most iconic working home. With relative ease, Gonzalez exploited severe lapses in each of multiple levels of security.

Initially, USSS officials indicated that Gonzalez was quickly detained at the North Portico entrance to the White House. We now know this was not the case. In fact, subsequent reports indicate Gonzalez made it all the way into the interior of the White House before being apprehended by an off-duty agent in the East Room. Alarmingly, Gonzalez was armed with a knife.

The USSS has no small task-ensuring the safety and security of the President of the United States and his family at home and abroad. While the USSS has, in recent years, had several high-profile missteps, largely as a result of bad judgment and a handful of bad actors, this incident represents a systemic failure in protocol and an egregious failure of its most basic function. The USSS is facing a serious credibility crisis reaching far beyond its image.

We must understand all of the circumstances surrounding this large-scale and multi-tiered failure to ensure it never happens again. The stakes are too high to simply characterize this incident as another instance of a "fence jumper." As the Senate committee with oversight responsibilities over the USSS, it is imperative that we ensure accountability within the USSS. It is incumbent on this committee to diligently ensure that USSS leadership is held accountable for what happens under its watch.

For that reason, I respectfully request a committee hearing as soon as possible to examine the circumstances surrounding this incident. Thank you for your consideration.

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