OPINION — Editorial

Others say: Get it together

Seventeen minutes. That is a shockingly long time for an intruder to roam undetected on the grounds of the White House while the president is inside the executive mansion. Fortunately the intruder on March 10 was carrying nothing more lethal than two cans of pepper spray.

But how could such a breach of security have occurred? Secret Service officials owe an answer. And while they are at it, they also might explain why they initially tried to minimize the seriousness of the incident.

"I worry this is the worst one yet ... it scares me," said Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

The Secret Service urgently needs to get its house in order. The agency is without a permanent director after the retirement of Joseph Clancy. In choosing a replacement, Trump would do well to take to heart recommendations about the need for someone from outside the agency to bring a fresh eye to its operation.

Editorial on 03/23/2017

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