Security Guard Who Accompanied Obama In Elevator Says Firing 'Unjust'

The security guard who reportedly accompanied President Barack Obama in an Atlanta-area elevator back in August has reportedly been fired amid a very public Secret Service flap.

Kenneth Tate, a contracted security guard for the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, is calling his firing from his position "unjust." Tate was allowed to ride an elevator with President Obama back in August while armed. Members of the Secret Service didn't do a background check on Tate until after the contractor refused to put away his cell phone, only then finding out that Tate had previous charges of battery and assault.

Tate's incident, as well as another Secret Service flap that involved a man jumping over the White House fence with a knife, caused several lawmakers to criticize the Secret Service for not taking proper precautions, and ultimately the agency's director Julia Pierson resigned following the highly public and embarrassing mistakes.

Now, Tate is arguing that his firing was "unjust" and that the media coverage surrounding the incident has been a nightmare. "From the reports, I was some stranger that entered the elevator," Tate told the New York Times in a recent interview. "I mean, I was appointed."

"This was unjust and has been a nightmare," Tate, the 47-year-old who was making $42,000 per year at his CDC job, continued with the New York Times. "I've tried to rationalize it. It won't go away."

The former security guard recalled meeting President Obama, saying: "He acknowledged me, said, 'How you are doing?' He said, 'What's your name?'"

"I told him my name, and he extended his hand, shook my hand, and I said it's a pleasure to meet him. And I proceeded to escort him upstairs."