Secret Service Agents Disrupted Bomb Investigation at White House
- By Matt Holden
- Mar 13, 2015
Two Secret Service agents suspected of drinking while striking a White house security barricade drove through an active bomb investigation and directly beside the suspicious package, according to reports.
Joseph P. Clancy, the newly appointed director of the Secret Service, is under fire for taking a cautious approach in punishment of the two officials, as well as not taking action against a senior supervisor on duty the night of the incident who ordered fellow Secret Service officers to let the agents go home without sobriety tests.
“This incident also raises important questions about what additional steps should be taken to reform the agency and whether the problems at the USSS run deeper than the recently replaced top-tier of management,” said Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) and Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (Md.)
The night of the incident, a woman allegedly got out of her car near the southeast entrance of the White House yelling “I’m holding a bomb.”
She then put the object on the ground and retreated to her car where she managed to get away from nearby guards.
Shortly after the two Secret Service agents drove through the crime scene, driving past police tape and hitting a temporary barricade. The incident was caught on surveillance video.
About the Author
Matt Holden is an Associate Content Editor for 1105 Media, Inc. He received his MFA and BA in journalism from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. He currently writes and edits for Occupational Health & Safety magazine, and Security Today.