WASHINGTON — Secret Service Director Julia Pierson says officers and agents are allowed to use “lethal force” to stop someone from getting into the White House.
Pierson was not clear about whether the Secret Service is authorized to shoot people trying to jump over the White House fence. She says they can shoot if there is an imminent threat to them or others.
Pierson says her agency showed restraint when they did not shoot Omar J. Gonzalez as he jumped the fence and ran across the front lawn into the executive mansion on Sept. 19. But she also says the security plan wasn’t executed properly that day.
Pierson was responding to a question from Utah Republican Jason Chaffetz (CHAY’-fihtz) on the House Oversight and Government Reform committee.
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