Speculation (as the true reason will likely be obscured until after the end of Obama Administration). T failed to anticipate all of the potential security issues brought on during an unexpected Presidential visit to what t believed to have been a secure facility. The visit to the CDC was in response to all of the publicity surrounding the ongoing Ebola epidemic. The President visited the facility (on relatively short notice) and the Secret Service apparently had to scramble to provide security coverage for this visit. T failed to properly vet the security staff of the facility and for some reason t allowed contracted security personnel to get within the President’s personal space. Had t bothered to properly vet the security or recommended that only unarmed government personnel be allowed to be near the President this incident wouldn’t have occurred. As it was, a security contractor, who apparently was somewhat of a goofball (if you need to be told not to take photos of a visiting dignitary with your cell phone, you don’t belong in a high level security position) somehow managed to get close enough to the President to have caused serious problems had he chosen to do so. That this individual was armed was even more embarrassing; that Secret Service allowed this to occur and apparently was unaware of this is mind-boggling. The Secret Service has had serious trouble for years keeping the White House and the President secure. While most problems were fence jumpers and general wackos around the White House, if we flash back to 1982, the agency allowed an armed John Hinckley to get close enough to the late President Reagan to have wounded him. Had Hinckley used a heavier caliber weapon than the .22 that he did (he had purchased a .38 revolver for example) or had he been a better marksman, American history would have been changed completely. The recent incidents, while certainly alarming, are really nothing new. The Security Service should probably have its primary role changed to become either solely a protective unit or become strictly another federal law enforcement agency. Why? Because from outward appearances, the agency seems to be unable to perform both roles simultaneously and effectively. And continuing failures in either role will mean the increased chance of danger for protectees. Or it will mean that fewer resources will be available to combat the financial criminals that are also in their purview. Side note. What seems to have been forgotten in this entire Secret Service imbroglio are several things. The CDC, what should be one of the most secure agencies in the US government uses private security contractors. The CDC doesn’t vet these contractors very well (or apparently at all) as an ex-felon, who shouldn’t have even been legally carrying a firearm was employed at their facility. This ex-felon apparently possessed a high level of access throughout the facility as it seems unlikely that a low-level “drone” would be allowed to escort such an important dignitary anywhere in the facility. This person apparently wasn’t the only ex-felon that this firm has employed at the CDC The firm that employed this person apparently still retains its contract with the CDC. Had this person been a domestic terrorist or a more skilled criminal, he could have easily wreaked havoc at the Center for Disease Control facility that would have made the simple security breach resemble a relatively minor incident,
As has been mentioned before, the agency seems to be incapable of performing two different jobs simultaneously.) The Secret Service has now suffered significant losses to its personnel and equipment during the course of all this fiasco. For the past few months, the Secret Service headquarters has been forced to hire contractors to replace certain employees due to their inability to maintain an adequate amount of security around the President. Why is the Secret Service now using contractors, and what is the connection here? The reason we don’t know what the security personnel at the CDC looked like or how many people the agency employs is because Secret Service agents refuse to provide all the information that the public needs to be secure. When the agency initially began to release reports on the number of people it employed, questions arose as it quickly became clear to the public.