Time for a White House moat? Some on Twitter think so

By Fusion Staff  |  September 30, 2014 | 5:36pm
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U.S. Secret Service Director Julia Pierson faced sharp questioning on Tuesday from members of Congress over the agency’s failure to stop a fence jumper from entering the White House earlier this month.

Pierson told angry lawmakers during a hearing that the Secret Service’s security plan “was not properly executed” during the Sept. 19 incident and promised a sweeping review of agency policies to prevent future breakdowns. Twitter users, however, are calling for some drastic measures to protect the White House.

The Washington Post reported Monday the intruder, Omar Gonzalez, jumped the White House fence, entered through an unlocked front door, and made it all the way into the East Room before being apprehended by a Secret Service officer.

Pierson said remote-locking capability has been installed on the door on the North Lawn where Gonzalez infiltrated. A controversial new layer of fencing has also been added on the sidewalk on Pennsylvania Avenue.

The revelation of new details about the Gonzalez incident—combined with Pierson’s evasive answers about the agency’s botched response to a 2011 shooting, in which a gunman hit the exterior of the White House—have incredulous Twitter users calling for moats, sharks, and even trampolines to guard against White House intruders.

Some sensed a business opportunity for Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), the head of the committee grilling Pierson:

Others wanted more peaceful means of expelling intruders:

Or just a plain, old home security system:

Jordan Fabian is Fusion’s politics editor, writing about campaigns, Congress, immigration, and more. When he’s not working, you can find him at the ice rink or at home with his wife, Melissa.

 
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