Secret Service Director Resigns After Security Lapses

 © 2014 The Wired Word

www.thewiredword.com

In 2011, seven gunshots were fired at the White House. Then, in September 2014, an Iraq War veteran with a knife climbed the White House fence, ran across the lawn and entered the presidential mansion. He was stopped only by an off-duty agent. The same month, an armed private security contractor with a criminal record was permitted to ride in an elevator with President Obama in Atlanta.
These security lapses raised concern that the president was not being protected properly, so Secret Service Director Julia Pierson was called before a congressional committee on September 30. Representatives including Republican Jason Chaffetz, who chairs a national security oversight committee, questioned Pierson on the number of times she had briefed the president on security lapses this year. She replied that there was only one such briefing, after the September fence-jumper entered the White House. She did not mention the Atlanta elevator incident.
This omission, which came on the heels of numerous problems within the Presidential Protective Division of the Secret Service, led Chaffetz to call for her removal, an initiative that was supported by prominent Democrats, including Senator Charles Schumer and Representative Elijah Cummings. Pierson took "full responsibility" for holes in presidential security and, the next day, offered her resignation in a meeting with the Homeland Security secretary.
"Director Pierson's resignation is a matter of national security and I am pleased she is stepping down," said Chaffetz in a statement. "The position should be filled immediately by new leadership from outside the Secret Service for a fresh start." President Obama agreed that new leadership was needed.
Pierson was the first female director of the Secret Service and had been in her position for just 18 months. But her tenure marked the end of a 30-year career in the agency, which had begun in 1983 in the Miami and Orlando field offices. Before that, she had served as a police officer in Orlando. Pierson was named director of the Secret Service in March 2013, selected by Obama to change the culture of an agency that had been marred by a prostitution scandal in Colombia. Secret Service agents had been caught taking prostitutes back to their hotel rooms in Cartagena.
Clearly, the Secret Service has problems that cannot be blamed entirely on Pierson, and an investigation into the fence-jumping incident will be conducted by a panel of independent experts convened by the Homeland Security Department. This group will make recommendations about how to tighten security in the White House compound, and how to improve the overall operation of the Secret Service. They will also submit recommendations on who might be the next permanent Secret Service director.
Until then, Joseph Clancy will serve as acting director of the agency. Clancy is the former head of Obama's protective detail, and is a trusted and familiar face in the White House. "He is a person the president has utmost confidence in," Representative Cummings told NBC News. "He will take a bullet for him." In addition to overseeing protection of the president, Clancy will also be tasked with repairing the agency's damaged reputation and credibility.
One of the challenges faced by the Secret Service is striking the proper balance between security concerns and the public's desire to get close to the White House. After the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing of a federal building, authorities closed the stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the presidential mansion -- but only reluctantly.
The way to stop fence-jumpers, said one White House insider, is "we close Pennsylvania Avenue to pedestrians completely and we put barbed wire on top of the fence. But that's not reasonable. We want Americans to be able to come up to the fence line and take pictures and have fun and enjoy it."
More on this story can be found at these links:
Secret Service Director Resigns Under Fire. Yahoo News/Reuters 
Why the Secret Service Didn't Shoot the White House Fence-Jumper. Yahoo News
Interim Secret Service Head Has Been a Familiar Figure Beside U.S. Presidents. Yahoo News/Reuters
Secret Service Director Julia Pierson Resigns. CNN
The Big Questions
1. What do you feel is the proper balance between security concerns and the public's desire to get close to the president and the White House?
2. Charles Spurgeon said, "The best of men are men at best." What does this say to you about human fallibility? What kind of compassion and tolerance should we show one another?
3. If a person asks for forgiveness for multiple errors, should forgiveness be given? What types of repentance make you more likely to forgive? What is the distinction between offering someone forgiveness and allowing a person who has failed to continue operating as though that failure had never happened? When it comes to forgiveness, is there a difference between an error due to a moral failing and an error due to lack of competence or due to carelessness?
4. Do you feel that the congressional committee's response to Pierson's errors was appropriate? Or was it too harsh? What can we learn from this story about the appropriate way to respond to human failings?
5. Many Christians have long believed in "total depravity," meaning that every human action -- even a good one -- is tainted somewhat by sin. This view reflects the words of Jesus, “the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41). How should we respond to people, aware of the sin and weakness that is present in everyone?
6. As Christians we are used to the idea of receiving grace from God, and granting grace to each other. When have you been called upon to give grace to another in difficult circumstances? When have you received grace? In your profession, or in your personal life, are there circumstances where it is not possible to think about grace?
Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:
Genesis 40:9-10
So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, "In my dream there was a vine before me, and on the vine there were three branches. ..." (For context, read 40:1-23.)
In the book of Genesis we read that Pharaoh's cupbearer was imprisoned with Joseph. He might not have functioned in exactly the same way as our modern Secret Service agents, but it was his job to provide security in the area of food for the royal family, even at the risk of being poisoned himself. In a similar way, the Secret Service is willing to "take a bullet" for the president.
Questions: What qualities make for a good cupbearer or Secret Service agent? What kind of devotion to the Pharaoh or the Office of the President is required? What is it like to work in a job with so little room for error? Are there situations for you, as with cupbearers or Secret Service agents, where the question of whether you personally admire those you serve is irrelevant to your job performance? Do you think it is easy for God to love all of us all of the time?
2 Samuel 23:9-10
Next to him among the three warriors was Eleazar son of Dodo son of Ahohi. He was with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle. The Israelites withdrew, but he stood his ground. ... (For context, read 23:8-39.)
David's "mighty men" might have been his Secret Service equivalent -- warriors willing to stand bravely beside him in battle. Interestingly enough, the last of the mighty men listed is "Uriah the Hittite" (v. 39), whom David betrayed when he committed adultery with Uriah's wife Bathsheba.
Questions: What qualities of the mighty men of Israel can we emulate today? How can we take courageous stands as they did? While we may not be called to put our physical safety on the line, are there situations in your professional, personal or church life where you have to take a faith stance that makes you unpopular with the larger culture? What are the situations, such as putting God and faith before country, that have caused you to make an unpopular stance, even a last stand of sorts?
Matthew 6:14-15
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (For context, read 6:9-15.)
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives instructions about prayer, and teaches his followers the Lord's Prayer. A strong connection is made between the forgiveness we receive and the forgiveness we offer. The Amish take this text from the Lord's Prayer literally -- God will not forgive them unless they first forgive others. That is why, after the Nickel Mines murder in 2006 in which several Amish girls were killed, Amish visited the murderer's family (he had shot himself, so they visited his survivors) to express their forgiveness.
Questions: Do you view God's forgiveness as conditional -- that it is dependent on an action of yours? Is the forgiveness you grant conditional? What errors should be punished and what errors should be forgiven? Is forgiveness an appropriate response to failings in business and government? Or does it apply only to personal matters? How do differing types of errors cause your response to vary? Explain.
Romans 14:10-12
Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God." So then, each of us will be accountable to God. (For context, read 14:1-12.)
Paul encourages the Romans to welcome those who are weak in faith, and to resist passing judgment on one another. He acknowledges that there will always be diversity of belief and opinion in the Christian community, and so he is satisfied with the judgment of God.
Questions: In what areas is it legitimate to judge others? What are the qualities of appropriate judgments? In what ways are we accountable to each other, and in what ways are we solely accountable to God?
James 3:2
For all of us make many mistakes. Anyone who makes no mistakes in speaking is perfect, able to keep the whole body in check with a bridle. (For context, read 3:1-12.)
James warns teachers that they will be "judged with greater strictness" (v. 1), and encourages his followers to watch their speech. "No one can tame the tongue," he says, "a restless evil, full of deadly poison" (v. 8). In particular, he warns about speech that curses people, who are "made in the likeness of God" (v. 9).
Questions: What trouble do we cause with our tongues? How can we show greater care in our speech and avoid cursing and condemning people? Why do we forget that we all make mistakes and deserve a measure of compassion?
Revelation 2:2
I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance. I know you cannot tolerate evildoers; you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them to be false. (For context, read 2:1-7.)
John praises the Christians of Ephesus for their work and patient endurance, and commends them for testing false apostles and for showing no tolerance for evildoers. He also criticizes the Ephesians for abandoning "the love you had at first" (v. 4) -- their love for Jesus and for each other. John calls for them to change their ways and gives them the hope of eating "from the tree of life that is in the paradise of God" (v. 7).
Questions: How can this passage guide us as we seek to correct those who err? Where is there both judgment and tolerance in the passage? What hope does John give the Christians of Ephesus?
For Further Discussion
1. In many areas, we don't face major consequences for our actions. No one cares what color socks you wear, for example. But there is no room for error in other aspects of life. Think of the mountain climber for whom one misplaced foot can result in a fatal fall. When faced with temptation, one wrong move can take us down a deadly a path. Our decision about what to do with Jesus is also an area in which we cannot afford a mistake, since nothing less than our eternal destiny is at stake. What decisions do you face in which you feel you have no room for error?
2. The Secret Service did not shoot the White House fence-jumper because of the presence of tourists, and also because he did not seem to be launching a "military-style assault." Was this the right decision? What else could they have done?
3. Director Julia Pierson took "full responsibility" for recent problems in the Secret Service. Why did she feel she was accountable for these errors? Do you agree, and why?
4. Congressman Chaffetz called for Pierson's removal because she failed to brief the president fully on security lapses -- one of several systemic problems within the agency. Should such failures and problems be noted and corrected without a change in leadership? Why or why not?
5. The President of the United States definitely needs armed Secret Service agents. But does the church? Where do we find our safety and security?
6. In this season of baseball playoffs, we would do well to remember the saying, "There are two kinds of ballplayers: those who are humble, and those who are about to be humbled." What role does humility play in our judgment of others?
Responding to the News
The resignation of Julia Pierson reminds us of the responsibilities of leadership, and also of the need to see everyone as a fallible human being. Look for ways to offer correction, compassion and forgiveness to the people around you, remembering that only God is perfect.
Closing Prayer

We thank you for your love for us, O God, as weak and fallible as we are. Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. In Jesus' name. Amen.