Armed man with criminal record shared an elevator with President Obama
During a Sept. 16 trip to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to discuss Ebola, President Obama rode in an elevator with a security contractor who carried a gun and had three prior assault and battery arrests. This was a blatant violation of Secret Service protocols, three sources familiar with the case told The Washington Post.
Prior to an event involving the president, a security measure called the Arm's Reach Program has Secret Service staffers run the names of volunteers, invited guests, and others who might be near the president through several databases, including a criminal information registry. If a person is found to have a criminal history, mental illness, or other "indications of risk," they are kept away. Private security contractors would typically be checked, two former agents told The Post.
During the Sept. 16 incident, the Secret Service agents on the elevator became concerned when the private contractor pulled out his cell phone and started filming the president; when asked to stop, he did not comply. After Obama exited the elevator, some agents stayed behind and questioned the man, the sources said, and checked his criminal history on a national database.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A supervisor from the firm providing security for the CDC came up and once he was told of the agents' concerns, the contractor was immediately fired. He gave up his gun, startling the agents, who did not know he was armed. Obama was not notified of the breach, the sources said, and while Secret Service Director Julia Pierson asked that the incident be looked into, she did not forward it to an investigative unit created to review violations of standards and protocol.
Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), who heads the House subcommittee that oversees the Secret Service, was told of the incident by a whistleblower. "You have a convicted felon within arm's reach of the president, and they never did a background check," he said. "Words aren't strong enough for the outrage I feel for the safety of the president and his family. His life was in danger. This country would be a different world today if he had pulled out his gun."
The unidentified contractor was never convicted after any of his several arrests, the most recent in 1996, The New York Times reports. A Secret Service official told The Post an investigation into the episode is ongoing.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Today's political cartoons - March 16, 2024
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - pointed commentary, Haiti in trouble, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 hilarious cartoons about the RNC's MAGA takeover
Cartoons Artists take on RNC funding, Lara Trump, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Trump's presidential run: a bad bet for Republicans?
Talking Point The GOP is taking a 'big gamble' on former president's 2024 White House bid
By The Week UK Published
-
Russians start to vote in election Putin will win
speed read Putin's opponents are mostly in prison, exiled or dead
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Schumer slams Netanyahu, calls for new leader
speed read The senator — one of Israel's most avid supporters — criticized the country's handling of the Gaza war
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
South Dakota governor sued over Texas dentist promo
speed read Gov. Kristi Noem posted a video testimonial that may have been an "undisclosed advertisement"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Hur defends description of Biden's 'poor memory'
speed read Former special counsel Robert Hur defended disparaging remarks made about Biden's age in his report
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Pentagon's surprise $300M for Ukraine
speed read The Pentagon is giving $300 million worth of military aid to Ukraine, mostly for ammunition
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Biden, Trump clinch nominations
speed read The current and former president have each secured enough delegates for an election rematch
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Haiti leader agrees to exit amid growing chaos
speed read Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced his resignation
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump allies fold RNC into Trump campaign
speed read The new leaders of the Republican National Committee fired more than 60 of the RNC's 200 employees
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published