Armed man within arm’s reach of Obama
An armed security contractor with a criminal record was allowed to accompany US President Barack Obama in an elevator during his trip to Atlanta earlier, a report has revealed.
Obama visited the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US state on September 16, when the security breach took place, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday.
The contractor, working for a private security firm, did not conform with the Secret Service agents’ orders and continued using a phone camera to videotape the president inside the elevator.
A supervisor from the firm approached the after finding out about the agents’ concerns and fired the contractor on the spot.
To the Secret Service agents’ surprise, he also agreed to turn over his gun, of which the agents had been unaware up to that moment.
The agents questioned the contractor later and learned of his three prior convictions for assault and battery.
US Congressman Jason Chaffetz of Utah said he was appalled by what had happened.
“You have a convicted felon within arm’s reach of the president and they never did a background check,” Chaffetz said, adding, “Words aren’t strong enough for the outrage I feel for the safety of the President and his family. “
The elevator incident is the latest in a spree of embarrassments for the US Secret Service.
The Washington Post revealed this weekend that it took the Secret Service five days before realizing a man shot seven bullets at the White House in 2011 while one of Obama’s daughters was inside.
According to the Post story, the 2011 shooting was remarkable because it uncovers an alarming string of security lapses and misjudgments by the Secret Service. The newspaper said that Obama has faced three times as many threats to his life as his predecessors have faced.
Commenting on the report, international lawyer Barry Grossman said, “Every US president since at least Harry Truman has had multiple attempts on his life. A security apparatus which is so-inclined – to say nothing of one already dominated by special interests – can easily send a message to any president by the quality of protection given to him and his family. If a ‘tap-on-the-roof’ doesn’t do the job, there is always the prospect of a ‘tap-to-the-chest.”
“Every president is acutely aware of this. This is indisputable,” he stated. “It is incumbent on the Secret Service and wider security apparatus to remove this wild card from the policy making process.”
NT/GJH