Secret Service Under Scrutiny Again After Intruder Makes It To White House Doors

The White House was quickly emptied after a man jumped over the fence and made it to the front doors of before being stopped by security on Friday, according to The Associated Press.

President Barack Obama had already departed for the weekend and was not present at the time of the intrusion, the AP reported.

The 42-year-old white male from Texas named Omar J. Gonzales made it to the North Portico doors of the White House before Secret Service caught him, according to the AP. He was charged with unlawful entry into the White House complex.

Gonzales ignored all commands to stop before being apprehended at 7:20 p.m., the AP reported. He was unarmed.

"The Secret Service will review the response to ensure that the proper protocol was followed," spokesman Ed Donovan said, according to the AP.

Gonzales' ability to get so far on the grounds before being stopped is being investigated, the AP reported. The White House is guarded by Secret Service officers and snipers.

Donovan said the fact that Gonzales had made it to the doors was "not acceptable to us and it's going to be closely reviewed," according to the AP.

The suspect was transported to a nearby hospital for examination after complaining of chest pain, the AP reported.

Evacuations of the complex are rare, and Media and staff members were allowed back in some time later but a partial lockdown of the northwest side of the building remained in place for a few hours, according to the AP.

Representative Jason Chaffetz who chairs the House Oversight Committee's subpanel on national security said it was "totally unacceptable" that the fence-jumper made it inside the White House, the AP reported.

Chaffetz said he's been investigating the Secret Service for more than a year and that there have been many security breaches that were never publicly reported, according to the AP.

"Unfortunately, they are failing to do their job," Chaffetz said in an email to the AP. "There are good men and women, but the Secret Service leadership has a lot of questions to answer."

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