WASHINGTON, December 16 (Sputnik) – An independent panel reviewing how the US secret services handle White House safety, are expected to submit their assessment to Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Jeh Johnson, a DHS spokesperson has told Sputnik.
"Panelists serving on the Department of Homeland Security's independent review of the US Secret Service are expected to submit their assessment to Secretary Johnson later today," DHS Deputy Press Secretary Marsha Catron told Sputnik Monday.
"Secretary Johnson will meet with the panelists later this week and closely review their findings," Catron added.
The panel review will recommend new secret service directors and staff candidates and assess the security concerns on the White House grounds while also identifying any broader issues within the agency.
Johnson announced that the DHS would conduct an independent review of the secret services after US Army veteran Omar Gonzalez climbed over the White House fence and entered US President Barack Obama's residence with a knife on September 19.
Although president Obama and his family were not in the White House at the time of the incident, the security breach triggered sharp criticism of the US Secret Service, with the agency's former director Julia Pierson having resigned days after the breach.
