Julia Pierson, the first female director of the Secret Service, resigned Wednesday under pressure from government officials after a series of security breaches were brought to light. Homeland Security Director Jeh Johnson announced the news in a statement on Wednesday, which named Joseph Clancy as the interim replacement for Pierson until the post can be filled. Homeland Security will control the ongoing investigation into the White House security breach and the President’s security detail.
Rumblings grew louder for Pierson to vacate the position after she was questioned by members of the House Oversight Committee for her role in two recent security breaches that threatened the life of President Obama. Pierson testified that she disobeyed protocol by not informing the President of all threats to his safety and that of his family. During Obama’s recent trip to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta on September 16, a private contractor rode on the elevator carrying a gun in the presence of the President and Secret Service members. Three days later, military veteran Omar Gonzalez, 42, jumped the fence of the White House and made it inside the executive mansion armed with a knife. Luckily, neither the President nor the First Family were at home during the break-in.
Pierson said the decision was “painful,” but will step down “in the best interest of the Secret Service and the American public.”
“Congress has lost confidence in my ability to run the agency. The media has made it clear that this is what they expected … It’s painful to leave as the agency is reeling from a significant security breach,” Pierson said. Pierson took the post in March 2013, while the agency was reeling from a Colombian prostitution scandal that cost nine agents their jobs.
Press Secretary Josh Earnest said President Obama had called Pierson to “express his appreciation for her service to the agency and the country,” the Huffington Post reports. Johnson praised Pierson for her 30 years of distinguished service to the Secret Service and the Nation.