Fake Congressman Allowed Backstage At Obama Event In Latest Security Flap
As the U.S. Secret Service suffers criticism for recent security flaps, a new report indicates that a man pretending to be a congressman was able to sneak backstage at an event and meet President Obama recently.
According to Bloomberg News, the man, pretending to be a congressman, was able to make it past security and backstage to the president's secure area during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation on Sept. 27.
It remains unclear how close the man, who was pretending to be Representative Donald Payne Jr. (D-New Jersey), got to the president or the First Lady during the event, held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. A member of the White House staff reportedly recognized that the man was not who he claimed to be, and he was asked to leave without incident.
An anonymous person close to the situation told Bloomberg News that the White House followed all protocols in screening the man before he could enter the event. "This guy went through security, fully screened," Bryan Leary, a spokesman for the Secret Service, told Bloomberg News.
This recent security breach comes after two other embarrassing flaps that forced the resignation of Secret Service Director Julia Pierson this week. Pierson said that "Congress has lost confidence in my ability to run the agency," adding that she felt resigning "was the noble thing to do."
The two other security breaches include an incident in late September when a war veteran successfully scaled a fence at the White House and made it all the way to the building's east room before being apprehended by Secret Service. The agency received criticism for not shooting the man or at least turning guard dogs on him. Another flap happened in Atlanta, Georgia in August when an armed security contractor with a criminal record was able to ride an elevator with President Obama without receiving a background check.
