Report: White House intruder tackled by off-duty agent

The Washington Post reports that the man who jumped the fence and ran through the White House on Sept. 19 was tackled by an off-duty Secret Service agent.

The agent had been on security detail for President Barack Obama’s daughters and had just seen the family off minutes before on the president’s helicopter, reports Carol Leonnig, who has been following the story. She wrote: “He happened to be walking through the house when chaos broke out and the intruder dashed through the main foyer, according to two people familiar with the incident.”

Facing blistering criticism from Congress, Secret Service Director Julia Pierson acknowledged that her agency failed in executing its plan to protect the White House when Omar Gonzalez, who had a knife, ran through half the ground floor before being subdued. Pierson testified before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Tuesday.