The Ever-Evolving Story of the White House Fence Jumper
More details emerge.
First we were told that a man jumped the White House fence and ran across the lawn. Then came word that the intruder had in fact gotten through the White House doors. Yesterday we found out that he made it surprisingly far into the building, passing the stairs to the first family's living quarters and barreling into the East Room. At this point I half expect to learn tomorrow that the guy actually killed the president.
At any rate, The New York Post reports that the Secret Service has taken steps to prevent future invasions of this nature:
There are already new White House security measures under way, according to presidential press secretary Josh Earnest. He listed them as beefed-up foot patrols, additional surveillance and increased training.
Additionally, the Secret Service has "changed the procedures for ensuring that the entrance to the White House is secure," Earnest said—eventually explaining that meant the front door would be locked.
"After Friday night's incident, when the door is not in use, that will be secure," he explained.
Glad they worked that one out. I suspect there will be further changes too—though just as the one post-9/11 security measure that clearly made sense was the decision to reinforce cockpit doors, I won't be surprised if locking the White House is the one change to come out of this that actually makes people more secure. At any rate, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is holding a hearing on the subject right now; you can watch it here.
