Taking responsibility for a September 19 security breach that allowed a man to jump the fence and get deep into the White House, Secret Service Director Julia Pierson faced a barrage of bipartisan criticism at a U.S. House hearing, as lawmakers denounced what they labeled a "stunning" and "outrageous" lapse by agents protection the Presidential mansion.
"It is clear that our security plan was not executed properly," said Pierson.
"I take full responsibility; what happened is unacceptable and it will never happen again," she added.
But Pierson's assurances fell flat with members of both parties.
"This is disgraceful," said Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA). "This is absolutely disgraceful that this has happened," who accused the Secret Service chief of being more concerned about the fallout for her agents.
"I wish to God you protected the White House like you're protecting your reputation here today," Lynch said, as others piled on.
"I don't sense from you, a sense of outrage," said Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA).
"I believe that you have done a disservice to the President of the United States," said Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV), who demanded that someone be held accountable for the security breach.
One new detail that emerged after the hearing was that the agent who stopped the intruder had actually just gone off duty - and happened to be walking back through the White House at the time Omar Gonzalez burst through the door.
Both parties also pressed the Secret Service chief as to why the public wasn't given the full story of the intrusion, as Pierson grudgingly acknowledged that the suspect was not apprehended just inside the front door.
"Only last night did the public learn that in fact it was far worse," said Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA).
"The door was unlocked at the time of Mr. Gonzalez' entry," said Pierson, as she said that an automatic emergency locking system was now in place on the North Door of the White House.
Pierson's testimony got a bad reception from members of both parties, as her slow delivery and use of bureaucratic language left lawmakers shaking their heads at times during the 3 1/2 hour hearing.
That was repeated at the White House as well, where reporters complained at the daily briefing that the Secret Service had misled the press and the public about the details of the incident.
"Does it concern you that you are sending us to folks who are giving us information that is not accurate?" asked one reporter.
As for the President's evaluation of the Secret Service director, Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Pierson had not offered her resignation when she briefed Mr. Obama last week on the review of the security breach.
Another security breach in Atlanta
A few hours after Tuesday's hearing ended, another embarrassing revelation surfaced for the Secret Service, with reports that a convicted felon with a gun - working as a security contractor at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta - had somehow been able to get on an elevator with the President.
Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) had specifically asked the Secret Service Director how many times she had briefed President Obama this year about security breaches - her answer was once.
Once the story broke of the security issue at the CDC, in hindsight it seemed obvious that Chaffetz was trying to see if Pierson had told the President of that elevator breach - and the answer was 'no.'
Here was the video of his Q&A on Tuesday:
The Washington Post reported that the President had not been told of the incident, which would confirm Pierson's testimony, as she said the only time she had briefed Mr. Obama about security issues in 2014 was in the aftermath of the fence jumping incident on September 19, three days after his trip to the CDC in Atlanta.
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