Police surveillance video shown publicly for the first time Tuesday shows Secret Service agents in their government vehicle driving through the secured area and nudging a temporary barrier at low speed as it drove toward a checkpoint.
The incident occurred as on-duty officers and agents investigated a suspicious package thrown near the White House on March 4 – and an accompanying threat that it contained a bomb.
The House Oversight Committee showed the video from the Washington Metropolitan Police Department during a hearing on Capitol Hill.
Secret Service Director Joseph Clancy was testifying for the third time about the incident, in which two senior agents are accused of drinking before driving into the White House complex and pushing the barrier with the SUV's bumper.
Clancy has been criticized for the agency's handling of the incident. He has said he was out of the loop in the days that followed.
'The fact that I did not learn about this allegation until five days [afterward] ... infuriates me,' he told the congressional panel.
'This is unacceptable. Our mission is too important for this to happen. It undermines my leadership.'
He said he only learned about the incident from discussions about an anonymous email that was circulating within the agency.
The email described the off-duty agents as 'both extremely intoxicated' and confused about the bomb investigation underway near where their vehicle came to rest.
It said uniformed Secret Service officers at the scene 'were going to arrest both of them, but the UD (Uniform Division) watch commander said not to.'
'A liot of people got this email,' fumed Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings, the oversight committee's ranking Democrat.
'A lot of them got it,' he blared at Clancy, but you didn't!'
Utah Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz, the committee's chairman, angrily recounted a series of events including an 11-minutes stretch of time the Secret Service let the suspicious package lay near the White House before evacuating the area.
'I don’t understand how that happens,' he said.
The March 4 debacle was part of 'a litany of recent mishaps,' Chaffet lectured, which 'raise major concerns' about the Secret Service's ability to protect the presidential mansion and the first family.
'This has to stop,' he said. 'We need to understand why these incidents keep happening.'
The Homeland Security Department's inspector general is investigating allegations against the agents.
Lawmakers asked to speak with the agents involved, as well as Secret Service supervisors who were on duty that night, during the hearing.
The Secret Service declined to make them available and Clancy appeared alone.
In a written statement, Clancy said the case remains under investigation and any appropriate discipline will be imposed afterward.
Clancy also announced a new policy put in place after acknowledging that some video of the March 4 incident had been deleted.
Clancy said the agency will start retaining routine surveillance video for seven days. Previously, surveillance recordings that weren't being used as part of ongoing investigations were deleted after 72 hours.
Chaffetz said it was 'highly suspicious' the video was deleted.
'We asked Director Clancy to turn over video footage of the incident. He said no,' Chaffetz fumed on Tuesday.
The incident occurred as on-duty officers and agents investigated a suspicious package thrown near the White House on March 4 – and an accompanying threat that it contained a bomb.
The House Oversight Committee showed the video from the Washington Metropolitan Police Department during a hearing on Capitol Hill.
Secret Service Director Joseph Clancy was testifying for the third time about the incident, in which two senior agents are accused of drinking before driving into the White House complex and pushing the barrier with the SUV's bumper.
Clancy has been criticized for the agency's handling of the incident. He has said he was out of the loop in the days that followed.
'The fact that I did not learn about this allegation until five days [afterward] ... infuriates me,' he told the congressional panel.
'This is unacceptable. Our mission is too important for this to happen. It undermines my leadership.'
He said he only learned about the incident from discussions about an anonymous email that was circulating within the agency.
The email described the off-duty agents as 'both extremely intoxicated' and confused about the bomb investigation underway near where their vehicle came to rest.
It said uniformed Secret Service officers at the scene 'were going to arrest both of them, but the UD (Uniform Division) watch commander said not to.'
'A liot of people got this email,' fumed Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings, the oversight committee's ranking Democrat.
'A lot of them got it,' he blared at Clancy, but you didn't!'
Utah Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz, the committee's chairman, angrily recounted a series of events including an 11-minutes stretch of time the Secret Service let the suspicious package lay near the White House before evacuating the area.
'I don’t understand how that happens,' he said.
The March 4 debacle was part of 'a litany of recent mishaps,' Chaffet lectured, which 'raise major concerns' about the Secret Service's ability to protect the presidential mansion and the first family.
'This has to stop,' he said. 'We need to understand why these incidents keep happening.'
The Homeland Security Department's inspector general is investigating allegations against the agents.
Lawmakers asked to speak with the agents involved, as well as Secret Service supervisors who were on duty that night, during the hearing.
The Secret Service declined to make them available and Clancy appeared alone.
In a written statement, Clancy said the case remains under investigation and any appropriate discipline will be imposed afterward.
Clancy also announced a new policy put in place after acknowledging that some video of the March 4 incident had been deleted.
Clancy said the agency will start retaining routine surveillance video for seven days. Previously, surveillance recordings that weren't being used as part of ongoing investigations were deleted after 72 hours.
Chaffetz said it was 'highly suspicious' the video was deleted.
'We asked Director Clancy to turn over video footage of the incident. He said no,' Chaffetz fumed on Tuesday.
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