In the wake of a White House break-in that left Americans flabbergasted at the agency’s ability to protect the President in his own home and revelations that an armed man with a criminal history was allowed to ride in an elevator with President Obama, Secret Service Director Julia Pierson has resigned.
ABC News first reported the story:
BREAKING UPDATE: Secret Service Director Julia Pierson will resign, sources tell @ABC News: http://t.co/4yU3piEUT6 pic.twitter.com/lD49uABiln
— ABC News (@ABC) October 1, 2014
Here is a full statement from Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson:
Statement by @DHSgov Secretary Johnson on Secret Service Director Julia Pierson offering her resignation: pic.twitter.com/fOBAhCCQD6
— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) October 1, 2014
ABC News is also reporting on Pierson’s temporary replacement:
Joseph Clancy, former Special Agent in Charge of Pres. Protective Division, appointed acting Secret Service director - (corrects: Secret)
— ABC News (@ABC) October 1, 2014
White House press secretary Josh Earnest spoke with reporters, saying that “Over the last several days we’ve seen recent and accumulating reports raising questions about the performance of the agency, and the president concluded that new leadership of that agency was required.”
Pierson's hearing before a House committee yesterday was an unequivocal disaster for her as she was forced to answer for the multiple recent breaches of Presidential security. The meeting led lawmakers from both sides of the aisle to call for her resignation, and today, they got their wish.
[via Twitter]