President Donald Trump was taking photos with the 2019 Presidential Scholars when the Secret Service sprang into action and placed the White House on lockdown.
For the second time in a week, a “suspicious package” was reported in the vicinity of the president’s home, prompting agents to shut down Pennsylvania Avenue to foot traffic between 15th and 17th streets.
Trouble on Pennsylvania Avenue
At 11:26 a.m., the Secret Service issued an alert via Twitter explaining the situation. In addition to closing the street to pedestrian traffic, agents also cordoned off nearby Lafayette Park.
Secret Service Uniformed Division Officers are responding to an incident involving a suspicious package located on Pennsylvania Ave. Pedestrian traffic is closed along Pennsylvania Ave. between 15th and 17th streets to include Lafayette Park. pic.twitter.com/t7veePoDb7
— U.S. Secret Service (@SecretService) June 24, 2019
It only took agents an hour to interrogate the package and determine that it was harmless. The president’s protective detail did not say what the package contained.
UPDATE: The package along Pennsylvania Ave. has been declared safe by Secret Service and @DCPoliceDept. Pedestrian road closures will be lifted shortly.
— U.S. Secret Service (@SecretService) June 24, 2019
Business as usual
Just five days earlier, the White House was briefly locked down after a man dropped his backpack and attempted to jump over a bike rack to breach the complex perimeter. The incident occurred around 2:45 p.m. and the unnamed man was arrested and charged with unlawful entry.
President Trump was not at the White House during this first event. He was headed home after a two-day trip to Florida and arrived an hour and a half after the incident took place.
Heavily armed Secret Service seen taking positions behind trees on the North Lawn of the WH. Press then cleared from the area. pic.twitter.com/1zc0R3jNdO
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) June 19, 2019
White House is on lockdown, press has been ordered inside. Sounds like there might have been a suspicious package left on Pennsylvania Ave, though that is unconfirmed at this time. pic.twitter.com/6P7k8Z9tXA
— Jeff Mason (@jeffmason1) June 19, 2019
Members of the White House press pool recalled armed guards establishing a perimeter around the complex grounds. Journalists were ushered into a single room and were not told what was happening outside.
From D.C. to Palm Beach
Besides the recent incidents at the White House, Secret Service personnel have been hard-pressed to protect the president and his family at their unofficial second home, the Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida.
Since November, two individuals succeeded in gaining access to restricted portions of the country club.
During Thanksgiving week, an 18-year-old man gained access to the resort from an exterior service tunnel. “I wanted to see how far I could get,” the teen later admitted.
Likewise, in April a Chinese woman bypassed several security checkpoints to make it into the main reception area. She was later arrested for trespassing.
“The Secret Service does not determine who is invited or welcome at Mar-a-Lago; this is the responsibility of the host entity. The Mar-a-Lago club management determines which members and guests are granted access to the property,” a Secret Service spokesperson wrote to explain the breach.
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