Secret Service: Moat around White House ‘may be’ effective

SHARE Secret Service: Moat around White House ‘may be’ effective

It’s no secret that the Secret Service has had some issues protecting the White House of late, and at a hearing Wednesday morning in front of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, had a rather unique solution.

“Would a … moat … water, six feet around, be kind of attractive and effective?” Cohen asked Joseph Clancy, the acting director of the Secret Service.

Incredibly, Clancy didn’t immediately shoot it down.

“Sir, it may be,” Clancy said.


WATCH: Cohen drops the question around the 3:50 mark


Clancy went on to say that it’s important to balance the accessiblity and historic nature of the White House.

What’s more likely is raising the fence around the perimeter from its current height of 7.5 feet.

Clancy said those discussions have already begun with the National Parks Service.

During the hearing, Cohen also worked in a zinger when referencing Omar Gonzalez, the man who actually got into the White House.

“This guy got further into the White House than some of my Republican colleagues have ever gotten,” Cohen quipped.

The Latest
Imanaga has the lowest ERA (0.84) for a starter, excluding openers, in the first nine starts of a career since 1913. Christopher Morel’s single and Cody Bellinger’s slide won it in the ninth.
Taeyoung Kim, a 21-year-old Northbrook man, was traveling more than 120 mph when his Mustang slammed into another vehicle in Glenview, killing 17-year-old Marko Niketic, authorities said.
The endgame for them could be the 2027 draft, not the next two. The JuJu Watkins/MiLaysia Fulwiley/Madison Booker/Mikaylah Williams/Hannah Hidalgo generational, unicorn lottery that will change the trajectory of several WNBA franchises.
The legislation would ban prior authorization for inpatient mental health treatment and includes other provisions to close the treatment gap.
Brad Keller had a rough start, and Sox hitters struck out 16 times in the team’s second straight loss.