US Secret Service Director Julia Pierson resigned on Wednesday, appearing to take the blame for multiple breaches of security at the White House including a recent intrusion.<br /><br />The day before, Pierson was questioned by a congressional committee about how a man managed to jump the White House fence and enter the building.<br /><br />She admitted there had been “unacceptable flaws” in the protection of the US president and his family.<br /><br />On September 19, Iraq War veteran Omar Gonzalez made it into the East Room with a knife before being disarmed and arrested.<br /><br />The 42-year-old pleaded not guilty in court on Wednesday to unlawful entry while carrying a weapon.<br /><br />Gonzalez, who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, was sent for a mental competency review.<br /><br />Three days before the break-in, President Obama shared an elevator with a private security contractor who had a previous criminal record and was armed.<br /><br />Pierson became the first female director of the Secret Service in March 2013.<br /><br />At the time, she was lauded as the person to turnaround the agency’s tarnished reputation.
