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Secret Service Director Julia Pierson Resigns

Aired October 01, 2014 - 15:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Just warning we're all waiting and watching for the White House daily briefing. Go ahead and jump in, I hear a voice.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll give you another example of this disastrous agency and that is from my book when actor, Bradley Cooper, went to the White House Correspondents Dinner where Obama spoke, a high ranking Secret Service official in New York took it upon himself to order agents at the Washington Hilton to let Bradley Cooper and his SUV into the secure area in front of the hotel where only Secret Service vehicles were allowed and they had to be screened for explosives.

Because anybody could attach explosives to the underside of a vehicle. This was just a favor that this guy was doing for Bradley Cooper and his security people. Perhaps this official wanted a job later on. You can imagine the impact on the agents at the Washington Hilton. They are there to protect the president and yet --

BALDWIN: This is not about Bradley Cooper, right. This is about the president.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. That sends a message throughout the agency that forget about security. We don't really care about security. We don't care if the president is assassinated. Let's do a favor so we can get a nice job in the private sector.

All this is covered up. It's in my book. There are other examples like that. On the flip side, when it comes to White House political interests, the reason that President Reagan was almost killed is that the Secret Service in that case did not want spectators near him as he came out of the Washington Hilton.

But the Reagan White House is on staff of a rule to Secret Service. The Secret Service was spineless and went along with it and therefore, spectators were allowed at the exit of the Washington Hilton when Reagan came out. They were unscreened and sure enough John Hinckley was able to shoot Reagan.

BALDWIN: Did I hear Jeff Toobin or Evan Perez? Do you want to jump in?

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: I want to make one point about how timing matters too. You know, yesterday morning, Ms. Pierson gave this bumbling and bureaucrat speak testimony that satisfied no one. That afternoon you had, Thomas Frieden, the head of Centers for Disease Control --

BALDWIN: Here we go. Josh Earnest. Forgive me, Jeff Toobin, hitting pause. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN LIVE BRIEFING COVERAGE)

JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: It's been a busy day for us here at the administration. I suspect that many of you have seen the statement from the Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson.

In that statement, he noted that he had accepted this afternoon the resignation of Julia Pierson, director of the United States Secret Service.

Before I get to your questions, let me just tell you that this afternoon, the president had an opportunity to telephone Director Pierson to express his appreciation for her service to the agency and to the country.

She dedicated more than 30 years of her life to the United States Secret Service and to the important work that they do over there. As I mentioned yesterday, she spent several hours in front of the cameras yesterday answering difficult questions from members of Congress.

In the context of that interaction, she took responsibility for the shortcomings of the agency that she led and she took responsibility for fixing them. That quite simply is a testament to her professionalism and her character. So with that, Jim, get us started on questions today.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks, Josh. In that phone call, had she already submitted her resignation or did the president ask for it?

EARNEST: Yes, in a meeting earlier this afternoon, the secretary of homeland security met with Director Pierson and accepted her resignation at that time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As recently as this morning, you were expressing the president's support for her. If there was such support, why did the president allow Secretary Johnson to accept her resignation?

EARNEST: Well, Director Pierson offered her resignation today because she believed that it was in the best interest of the agency to which she's dedicated her career. The secretary agreed with that assessment. The president did as well.

Over the last several days we've seen recent and accumulating reports raising questions about the performance of the agency and the president concluded that new leadership of that agency was required.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did the president take into consideration the mounting opposition rising on the Hill, bipartisan opposition too with her remaining in office?

EARNEST: No, I think what the secretary of homeland security and the president were both considering were the performance of the agency. In light of recent and accumulating reports about the agency, I think legitimate questions were raised. At least they were in the mind of the secretary and the president.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Does the president have a timetable for replacing her?

EARNEST: He does not. As you know and as you probably saw from the statement that Secretary Johnson issued, the president recommended and Secretary Johnson agreed that Joe Clancy, someone who had served with distinction in the Secret Service until the summer of 2011, would be a good candidate for serving as acting director of Secret Service until a more permanent replacement can be found.

Mr. Clancy is somebody who had a distinguished career in the Secret Service. Prior to serving in the Secret Service, he graduated from West Point. He's someone over the course of his tenure at the Secret Service rose to the level of being the special agent in charge of the presidential protective division.

He's somebody who has earned the respect and admiration of the men and women who are his colleagues at the United States Secret Service. He is also someone who has the full confidence of the president and the first lady. He's an appropriate choice to lead the agency until a permanent director is found.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Could I you ask about the meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu. Wondering if the president raised concerns about new construction in East Jerusalem that some Israeli officials confirmed today or the eviction of Palestinians from their homes in East Jerusalem?

EARNEST: Well, Jim, I can tell you that the United States is deeply concerned by reports that Israeli government has moved forward with the planning process in the sensitive area or in a sensitive area of East Jerusalem.

The step is contrary to Israel's stated goal of negotiating a permanent status agreement with the Palestinians and it would send a very troubling message if they were to proceed with tenders or construction in that area.

This development will only draw condemnation from the international community and distance Israel from even its closest allies, poison the atmosphere and not only with Palestinians, but also with the very Arab governments with which Prime Minister Netanyahu said he wanted to build relations.

It would call into question Israel's ultimate commitment to a peaceful negotiated settlement with the Palestinians. Additionally the United States condemns the recent occupation of residential buildings in the Palestinian neighborhood in East Jerusalem. This is near the old city.

By individuals who are associated with an organization whose agenda by definition stokes tensions between Israelis and Palestinians. These provocative acts by the organization only serves to escalate tensions at a moment when those tensions have already been high.

The final status of Jerusalem should not be prejudged and can only be legitimately determined through direct negotiations between the parties. At this sensitive time, we call on all parties to redouble their efforts to restore trust and confidence, promote calm and return to the path of peace. This did come up in the conversation. Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Was there any indication that the timing of this was related to the prime minister's visit?

EARNEST: For questions about timing, you obviously would have to ask the Israeli government about that. OK, Jeff.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Back to the Secret Service. Clearly the problems at the agency are beyond one person. Would the president like to see more resignations, more firings as a result of these issues?

EARNEST: Jeff, let me say a couple things about that. First, the president has nothing but the highest regard for the men and women of the Secret Service. These are individuals who are highly trained, highly skilled professionals who wake up every morning prepared to put their lives on the line to protect the first family and to protect the White House.

That is a commitment to service that is worthy of our respect. At the same time, as Secretary Johnson mentioned in his statement, the deputy secretary of Department of Homeland Security will be conducting a review into the September 19th incident in which an individual scaled the fence along the north lawn of the White House and was able to gain access to the White House.

That review will be conducted by the deputy secretary. When that review has been concluded, it will be put before an independent panel of experts to get their outside perspective on what changes to White House security may be required.

That panel will also be responsible for making recommendations to the secretary about who would be a good candidate to lead the United States Secret Service. They will consider individuals from outside that agency.

Importantly they will also offer recommendations to the secretary about whether or not a review of broader issues concerning the Secret Service is necessary. We are confident and the president is confident that the Department of Homeland Security will take a hard look at this situation.

That we'll assemble a panel of outside experts who will take a hard look at this situation and develop a set of recommendations that will ensure that the United States Secret Service can meet the high standard they set for themselves.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Does the president believe that more people besides the director need to go?

EARNEST: The president believes that an independent panel should review the results of this assessment as being conducted by the deputy secretary of Homeland Security to determine which steps are appropriate moving forward.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Does the president or the White House generally believe that any shortfalls or any problems at the Secret Service are related to shortfalls that are connected to sequestration?

EARNEST: Again, Jeff, you are raising questions that will be part of this broader careful review that's being conducted by the deputy secretary of the Homeland Security. So he'll be a better person to answer that question than I can from here.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Earlier this morning, you expressed confidence saying the White House had confidence in Julia Pierson. What changed over the course of the day?

EARNEST: Well, obviously the first thing that changed, Jim, was that Director Pierson offered her resignation. She did so to the secretary of Homeland Security and she did that because she believed it was the best interest of the agency to which she dedicated the last 30 years of her life.

The secretary agreed with that assessment as did the president. They both agreed with the assessment because of the recent and accumulating results that raise legitimate questions about the performance of the agency. Those reports led the secretary and the president to conclude that a new direction was necessary.

ACOSTA: Just asking you about this this latest incident to have emerged prior to the fence jumping incident, a security contractor at the CDC who was in the elevator who was armed in the presence of the president in violation of Secret Service protocols, did Director Pierson brief the president on that incident?

EARNEST: Jim, I can tell you that the White House first learned of that incident yesterday afternoon shortly before it was reported by news organizations.

ACOSTA: She did not tell him about that? The agency did not tell the White House about that until -- you didn't know about it until yesterday?

EARNEST: Until shortly before it was reported publicly. That's correct.

ACOSTA: That's a problem, right?

EARNEST: Well, I would -- I think that it would be accurate for you to assume that when incidents like that occur that there would be a pretty open channel of communication between the United States Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security and ultimately the White House.

ACOSTA: Does the president want to see the channels of communication to be more open and more transparent? Does the White House feel like it's kept in the dark too much by the Secret Service in terms of these problems that occur from time to time?

EARNEST: I think this will be part of some of the things that this independent panel will consider. What is the appropriate level of Secret Service response to incidents like this when they crop up? And that obviously would involve communicating reforms or even information where necessary to senior members of the Department of Homeland Security and again ultimately on some occasions to the White House.

ACOSTA: And does the president think that Julia Pierson let him down?

EARNEST: Well, like I said the president took time out of his day this afternoon to call Director Pierson to thank her for her service to the agency and to the country and the president is deeply appreciative of her service. She spent 30 years at the United States Secret Service because she believes so strongly in the core mission of that agency.

ACOSTA: One quick question about the CDC because on September 16th, the president said in the unlikely event that someone with Ebola does reach our shores and as we know there's a case down in Dallas, did the president not get reliable information from the CDC as to likelihood that Ebola could come over here? What do you make of that?

EARNEST: Would you read that quote one more time?

ACOSTA: He said in the unlikely event that someone with Ebola does reach our shores. I can give you the full quote if you want it. He talked about it being an unlikely event. Went on to say the CDC is prepared to deal with that.

EARNEST: My suspicion is you might be slightly over parsing what the president said because when he delivered those remarks, there had been at least a couple of health care professionals who had been trying to provide medical services to Ebola victims in Africa who had been returned to the united States for treatment.

So obviously these individuals who contracted Ebola in the performance of their medical work were on the shores of the United States of America. So I think the broader point the president was trying to convey to you and to the broader American public is that we retain confidence in sophisticated medical infrastructure of the United States of America to respond to meet the needs of those individuals that have contracted Ebola.

And to put protocols in place that will prevent an Ebola epidemic from striking the United States. There are a couple reasons for that. The first is Ebola is not easily transmitted. It isn't transmitted through the air like the flu. It's not transmitted through water or food here in the United States.

The only way that Ebola can be transmitted is from the bodily fluids of an individual who is already showing symptoms of being sick with Ebola. So there is -- there are protocols in which the president does have strong confidence that can be put in place to prevent the spread of Ebola. ACOSTA: This doesn't lead you to think this could be a bigger, more widespread problem than previously thought. I guess that's the thrust of my question.

EARNEST: That's correct. It is our view that we have the medical infrastructure that is necessary to try to treat this individual that does have Ebola in a way that doesn't pose a significant risk to other patients in the hospital, to the doctors and nurses who will care for that individual and certainly doesn't pose a significant risk to the broader community. OK.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A couple quick questions. Based on the scenario that we understand from the Dallas patient, is there anything that will change with airlines or airport security in terms of what we know of the incubation period or screening free access and free movement of folks who fly from affected countries.

EARNEST: Well, again, it's my understanding, Alexis and you can check with the CDC about this, but it's my understanding that the individual in Dallas who has been hospitalized with Ebola is someone that did recently travel to the United States from West Africa.

It is according to those medical professionals, this individual was not displaying any symptoms. He was not experiencing any symptoms while he was traveling. That means there is no risk to the individuals who were traveling with that person.

So there are protocols in place where those individuals who are leaving West Africa and traveling to the west are screened. While we've also provided guidance to pilots, flight attendants and others who make up the -- who are responsible for staffing our transportation infrastructure.

We've given them guidance for monitoring the health and well-being of travelers to ensure that if they notice individuals who are exhibit exhibiting symptoms that proper authorities are notified.

And there are screening procedures in place at our border so as individuals enter the country, they be observed by customs and border patrol and others to protect the broader American public.

There's nothing about this case that we know so far that would indicate any weakness or any flaws in that system right now. That said, in light of this incident, the administration has taken the step of recirculating our guidance to law enforcement agencies responsible for securing the border.

To those agencies that represent individuals and staff the airline industry and to medical professionals all across the country to make sure that people are aware that there's an important protocol that should be implemented if an individual presents with symptoms that are consistent with Ebola.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Back to the secret service to follow up on that, because the independent investigation Secretary Johnson wants to get under way that will last a month, the president is going to be active in the next month, can you say whether anything is going to change and whether there's satisfaction that interim procedures here or those who are traveling are sufficient and adequate to ensure the safety?

EARNEST: I'll say three things about that. The first thing is Director Pierson has said and she did it in her testimony yesterday, in the immediate aftermath of the incident on September 19th, the United States Secret Service put in place some additional security precautions to bolster security here at the White House.

So there are already some changes that have been made. Second, the president continues to have full confidence in the men and women of the United States Secret Service. These are highly skilled, highly trained professionals who are very good at what they do.

And these individuals also take very seriously the responsibility to protect the president and to protect the White House. The third thing is the president has -- is very appreciative that somebody with the resume and skills of Joe Clancy is taking responsibility for leading the Secret Service during this interim period.

Mr. Clancy is someone who is taking a leave of absence from his private sector job to re-enter government service. That is what, I think, the sacrifice that he's making principally because of the loyalty that he feels to this organization and this agency that he served for so long.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is he authorized to make any additional changes that he thinks may be necessary?

EARNEST: Absolutely. As the acting director, Mr. Clancy will have the responsibility for leading that organization. The president is grateful that he's taking on that very significant responsibility. OK, Todd.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks. On the Dallas Ebola case, everyone understands that this particular patient was asymptomatic and there was no risk. I think we get that from the health professionals and -

(END LIVE BRIEFING COVERAGE)

BALDWIN: All right. We'll pull out of this, and we've been discussing for a little while what we had heard. We saw the statement from Homeland Security Director Jeh Johnson and it was Jeh Johnson who accepted the resignation from the head of the Secret Service, Julia Pierson.

Hearing and listening to some of the Q and A with White House spokesperson, Josh Earnest, but we also learned so it was Jeh Johnson who accepted the resignation. They had a meeting and then the president agreed with Jeh Johnson. It was best for the agency to accept that resignation.

They concluded that new leadership was required in the agency and we also learned President Obama did reach out and call Julia Pierson and thanked her for her 30-plus years of service in the Secret Service agency. Here's what else we learned. By the way, we also still have Ronald Kessler, a former agent and Jeff Toobin, our senior legal analyst. We will continue this conversation, we also learned and let's throw the picture up, guys.

Joe Clancy, this will be the new interim acting director of the U.S. Secret Service. This is someone who according to Josh Earnest has served until the summer of 2011. He is a West Point graduate. He is taking a leave of absence from his private sector job just so he can do this.

He was a special agent in charge of the presidential protective division. This is the man who will lead the Secret Service until they figure out who will be the permanent replacement of Julia Pierson.

And we've also learned that they will be assembling a panel to review this assessment within the Secret Service given all these blunders that have been reported on over the course of the last week as to whether or not there should be other heads rolling, if you will, within this agency.

So back to Ronald Kessler and Jeff Toobin. Ronald Kessler, you were listening. Do you know Joe Clancy?

RONALD KESSLER: No, I don't. By the way, I'm not a former agent. I'm a journalist and wrote the book "The First Family Detail." I don't know him, I think it's hopeful that he has a West Point background and this military background doesn't stand for cover-ups and doesn't stand for lies, which is what we've seen over and over again when the Secret Service said at first that this intruder was stopped at the door.

That was a lie. When other cover-ups have occurred and that's hopeful, but at the same time, I think an outside director is necessary and someone who is not at all beholden to interest within the agency who isn't part of the culture and can take a fresh look.

Someone like Bob Mueller when he was FBI director. James Comey who was appointed by President Obama, another very, very good selection. He came from the Justice Department. He's doing a very good job in the FBI.

Jeh Johnson has been doing a very good job and he came from the Pentagon. So I think, it's very hopeful. I think President Obama has finally woken up. I wonder if Michelle had anything to do with that because I know she's much more concerned about his security than he is.

Because President Obama over and over again has overlooked these scandals going back to the Salahi intrusion at the state dinner and said he has confidence in the Secret Service. That has finally stopped and I think we're going to get some good changes going here.

BALDWIN: Evan, to you. Evan Perez also rejoing us, our justice correspondent. Something we learned with our own correspondent, Jim Acosta, was the fact that the president didn't even learn about the incident in the CDC elevator in which there was an armed security contractor in there which Secret Service found out after the fact. They just learned about it yesterday afternoon.

EVAN PEREZ, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: That is incredible, Brooke. That's also part of what you see -- as part of the announcement from the Homeland Security Secretary Johnson that they are basically going take control, take over the Secret Service -- their own internal investigation of the September incident and of this more recent incident, the one we just learned about in the elevator.

And that's a sign that they don't have any confidence that the Secret Service is really telling everything and not only to the -- to the Homeland Security Department, but also to the White House, because again, as I mentioned a little while ago, they repeatedly came to the Secret Service and asked them, is there anything else that we don't know about?

And repeatedly the answer came back no. You know everything and we find out from the newspapers or from here on CNN that there was more to this story. So that's exactly why now they're going to look for somebody from outside according to the statement from the homeland security secretary by December.

They're going get some names and they'll get someone from outside. Jeh Johnson knows a lot of people from the military, so I'm told those names are probably going to be sent to him, as well.

BALDWIN: OK. Just quickly, Jeff Toobin, thank you for sticking around. In 30 seconds, your point you were making before about the timing.

TOOBIN: And also, just if I can make a point about how presidents deal with the Secret Service. They are different from other government employees. The Secret Service is with the president 24 hours a day. He's with his children.

The family members and they are always very careful to be deferential to the Secret Service and perhaps too deferential and that may have been the case here, but they are not ordinary government employees and they are something different and presidents always go out of their way to praise them and perhaps here the president was a little blind to their failings.

BALDWIN: Jeff Toobin, Evan Perez and Ronald Kessler, I really appreciate all of you here following this breaking news out of Washington that the Secret Service director has resigned and that has been accepted. A quick break. Jake Tapper up next.

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