U.S. lawmakers press for urgent action on
Secret Service scandal
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[March 18, 2015]
By Lisa Lambert
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Secret
Service director was grilled by lawmakers on Tuesday who demanded to
know why the agency, entrusted with the president's safety, was not
taking action on agents accused of drunk driving on the White House
grounds.
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Joseph Clancy, picked by President Barack Obama last month to turn
around the country's top security service after a series of
problems, told a House of Representatives committee that he has no
power to fire officers at will.
He said he would not take action until the Department of Homeland
Security's inspector general completes an independent investigation
of the March 4 incident.
Republican Representative Hal Rogers, chairman of the House
Appropriations Committee, called that response "hogwash."
"I don't care about the office of inspector general. ... You're in
charge," said Republican Representative Hal Rogers, chairman of the
House Appropriations Committee. "We want to get to the bottom of it
right away and I'm disappointed that you have not waged your own
vigorous, tough investigation of this."
Clancy also asked the panel for $8 million to construct a White
House replica for training at a Secret Service facility.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2015/Mar/18/images/ads/current/best_friends_sda_010515.png) The hearing had been scheduled to discuss the Secret Service's
budget, but the recent incident dominated, with lawmakers calling
for discipline and punishment.
The agency, tasked with protecting national and visiting foreign
leaders, and conducting criminal investigations, has been blemished
by recent security lapses, most notably the incursion of a
knife-wielding man into the White House, and other scandals.
(http://www.secretservice.gov/)
On March 4 two officers drove through police tape and barricades at
the White House and into an area locked down because of a suspicious
package, according to The Washington Post.
Clancy said he only learned about the incident five days later from
an anonymous report. There was no written record made at the time
and many details are hazy.
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The two senior agents involved have been assigned to desk jobs.
"I know our workforce is listening today as we go through this
hearing and they're waiting to see how people are going to be held
accountable," he said. "This is my first test."
Getting employees to report misconduct to managers, "up the chain of
command," will take time, he added.
Clancy said the service has been increasing ethics training, hiring
more staff, and addressing employees' alcohol abuse.
In the afternoon Clancy will meet with members of the House
Judiciary and Oversight Committees about the incident, as well.
(Reporting by Lisa Lambert; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and Richard
Chang)
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