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.