Update: On October 31 The Washington Post reported that the contractor was not actually a convicted felon, as had originally been reported and noted by TPM. Rather, his record included prior arrests. The Post’s updated story can be read here.
More and more reports of Secret Service blunders keep coming out. The latest came on Tuesday afternoon: A security contractor with a gun who had three prior convictions for assault and battery was able to get on an elevator with President Barack Obama earlier in September, according to The Washington Post.
It was a violation of Secret Service protocols, the Post noted.
The Post reported that the incident happened on Sept. 16 when Obama went to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to deliver remarks on the country’s response to the ongoing crisis concerning the Ebola virus.
Secret Service agents asked the contractor to stop using a camera phone he had to videotape Obama while in the elevator, the Post said. Secret Service agents did question him and checked a database to find out out about his criminal background.
A supervisor for the private security firm learned about the Secret Service agents’ concern with the contractor and the contractor was then fired. He agreed to hand over his gun as well, which surprised agents who did not know until then that he had been armed while he was near Obama.
Elements of this were first reported by The Washington Examiner.
The new report comes as the Secret Service is already under scrutiny over a man scaling the White House fence and making it deep into the White House before being tackled by an off-duty agent.
Wow. This is just absurd.
Three prior convictions and able to get a job as a security contractor?
How did he get a gun???
And why exactly was he even on an elevator with Pres. Obama?
OK, I’m going with others. One or two blunders, yeah ok, mistakes sometimes happens.
But the latest info coming out makes these people seem like Barney Fife. Not fit to protect the president.
But yeah, it’s the woman’s fault, according to Ingraham.
When I was a small town working journalist, I used to have great respect for the Secret Service. They were efficient and effective, stating timelines and following them for the Presidential visits I got to attend.
I am wondering what the hell happened?
Obama has 3x the number of threats than Bush. They are probably overworked.
So much for those private security contractors the rightwingers claim will save us so much.