‘Secret Service assumed bushes would stop White House intruder’

The Secret Service response to an armed intruder at the White House was complicated by muted alarms, thick bushes on the lawn, unlocked doors, and an officer physically too small to tackle the intruder.

A summary of the government’s investigation into the failure by the Secret Service charged with protecting the president revealed details about the September 19 break-in at the White House by a disturbed army veteran carrying a knife. It ultimately led to the resignation of the head of the Secret Service, Julia Pierson.

The report said Omar Gonzalez climbed over a fence where an ornamental spike was missing. An officer in the joint operations centre who tried to raise the alarm was unaware his warnings were not being broadcast to officers at the White House.