Man Pretending to Be Congress Member Slips Pass Secret Service at an Event With President Barack Obama
Things aren't looking good for the U.S. Secret Service, which has recently been inundated with criticism for a number of security breaches. Now, to make matters worse, there are reports that an impostor managed to swindle his way backstage at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation awards dinner, where President Barack Obama delivered a speech.
According to White House officials, an unidentified man posing as a member of Congress made it into a secure area during the dinner, which was held in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 27, Bloomberg News reports.
The man entered the backstage area pretending to be Rep. Donald Payne Jr. around the time that President Barack Obama delivered a speech at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, said the official, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
Officials say the unnamed poser, who was screened for weapons, was mingling with congressional members until a White House aide realized that he was not part of Congress. The man was then forced to leave the premises. Secret Service failed to question him about the incident.
In wake of the recently disclosed missteps of the Secret Service, former U.S. Secret Service Julia Pierson director resigned from her position earlier this week.
Pierson, the first woman to serve as the director of the Secret Service, resigned Wednesday afternoon after a string of security breaches came to light, including an Army veteran who climbed over a White House fence and ran into the East Room with a knife on Sept. 19. The White House intruder, who has been identified as 42-year-old Omar J. Gonzalez of Copperas Cove, Texas, was eventually arrested. Officials also found 800 rounds of ammunition, two hatchets and a machete in his vehicle, which was parked nearby, reports NBC News.
It was also revealed that an armed security contractor with an assault record got onto an elevator with President Obama while he was visiting Atlanta on Sept. 16, according to reports by the Washington Post.
Pierson's resignation comes 18 months after President Barack Obama appointed her as the new director of the top law enforcement agency after its reputation had been tarnished by a prostitution scandal.