WASHINGTON, October 1 (RIA Novosti) - Top US lawmakers have called on Wednesday for Secret Service Director Julia Pierson to resign from her post after 42-year-old Omar Gonzalez made it past Secret Service officials and entered the White House with a knife on September 19.
"She has got to go," said the chairman of the House subcommittee that oversees the Secret Service, US Representative for Utah's 3rd congressional district, republican Jason Chaffetz during an interview on Fox News.
The call for Pierson's resignation comes from across party lines. US Representative for Maryland's 7th district Elijah Cummings and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi have publicly said that they think Pierson should resign.
"There has to be an independent investigation. There has to be accountability," said Pelosi. "The reputation of the Secret Service as ironclad in terms of protecting our president, any president, presidents to come, has to be one that the American people have that confidence," she added.
Gonzalez will appear in a US District Court in Washington today and could face a maximum of 10 years in prison. He has already received three charges which include the federal offense of entering a restricted building illegally with a dangerous weapon, violating D.C. law of carrying a dangerous weapon outside of a home or place of business and unlawfully carrying ammunition.
The Secret Service is still investigating the incident, but D.C. officials are considering increasing security around Pennsylvania Avenue.
