US Secret Service director resigns
Julia Pierson, the US Secret Service director, resigned on Wednesday following growing criticism over a series of security breaches.
Pierson, the first woman to be in charge of the agency responsible for the US president’s security, had come under criticism from Nancy Pelosi, the House minority leader, and Elijah Cummings, the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
“I think it’s in the best interest of the Secret Service and the American public if I step down,” Pierson was quoted as saying by Bloomberg News.
The Secret Service is conducting an in-house investigation of a serious security lapse in Washington last month.
On 19 September, Omar Gonzales, a 42-year-old Army veteran, managed to breach the White House security after scaling the building’s fence shortly after President Barack Obama had departed.
The police reported Gonzales was unarmed, but court documents showed he had a knife in his pocket.