The Secret Service | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's Note: Jim Bispo's weekly column appears in the Beaufort Observer.

    Eric Holder may not be the only miscreant chosen by the Anointed One to run one of the Government Departments. The Secret Service, which only a few years ago was moved from Treasury to Homeland Security seems to have learned to emulate the Administration rather quickly. As an aside, Treasury probably didn't like "losing" the Secret Service at the time, but now - after all the recent Secret Service missteps - they are surely glad to be rid of them.

    The Secret Service (headed by Julia Pierson, an Obama appointee) seems to have taken a page from the Administration's play book. That would be the page that says "declare whatever happened unacceptable and then make up a (hopefully plausible) story and tell it with a straight face. Apparently the foregoing strategy is to be used whenever telling the truth would be embarrassing. We were initially told that an "intruder" had jumped the White House fence, run across the lawn and got to the residence before being captured. That was true - as far as it went, but it was certainly not the whole truth. Come to find out, he not only got to the Residence door, but he reportedly also got through the door and into the residence. They left out that last part. That could explain why the "dogs" were not released. No point if he was already inside. But it does not explain how (or why) the reporting of the incident got so screwed up.

    Normally an excuse for getting initial reports wrong can be made when something really complicated or with a lot of unknown variables and few facts happens. But that wasn't so in this case. Someone jumped the white house fence, ran across the grass and entered the White House through an unlocked door. He was apparently captured inside the White house. (with the help of an off duty Secret Service agent). The facts are clear and there don't seem to be a lot of "unknowns" in that scenario. That suggests that there is not a plausible reason for the first story varying so much from the final facts.

    Of course there remain a number of unanswered questions: Why did he do this?? What were his intentions?? Is he "free lance" or associated with some group?? What was all the ammunition found in his car all about?? Presumably having inordinate amounts of ammunition is bad - unless you are Homeland Security or one of the other Departments and Agencies who have "stocked up" with vast unexplained and unexplainably large stores of ammunition.

    And now we are hearing various members of Congress calling for a top to bottom review of the Secret Service with what sounds a whole lot like a demand for reorganization. Trust me. When the Government reorganizes, they "paint things a different color", put the same folks who weren't doing their job in the previous organization back into the new organization and declare the reorganization a success.

    But then we find out that the Prez got an elevator ride several weeks ago with a security guard who reportedly had a rather "checkered" past (i.e. previously charged felon) and that transgression went unreported until this week. (One of Bispo's Laws in action: Downward communications are amplified . Upward communications are attenuated.)

    In any case, at this point in the story there is a departure from the Anointed One's play book. Julia Pierson either had the class or guts (or whatever you want to call it) to resign or Jeh Johnson asked for (demanded??) the resignation either of which is clearly a departure from the typical Administration response to situations like this. Think State Department employees who were relieved of their position by being placed on Administrative Leave -with pay - for several months and then reassigned to different positions still in the Department. Think Obama care rollout. There's more...

    I have a suggestion. (Well, more than one - but I'm only going to share one with you). How about sending the Secret Service back to the Treasury Department where they seem to have served a long time without a whole lot of transgressions, unless you count the "social climbers" who finagled their way into a fancy shindig at the White House.. Let's face it the Homeland Security Department is not only full of "cowboys" but it is so large as to be virtually unmanageable.

    D'ya Think??