Drinking 'More Likely Than Not' Played Role in Secret Service Barricade Incident at White House

Agents came “within inches” of driving over a potential bomb, report says.

ByABC News
May 13, 2015, 11:25 PM
Yellow police tape is stretched across Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House, on March 12, 2015 in Washington.
Yellow police tape is stretched across Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House, on March 12, 2015 in Washington.
Getty Images

— -- Alcohol “more likely than not” played a role when two veteran Secret Service agents drove through a crime scene barricade at a White House entrance after a night of partying. That’s the conclusion of the Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security, whose investigation of the embarrassing, March 4 incident was released.

The IG report found that the agents came “within inches” of driving over a potential bomb when their car pushed past a makeshift barricade intended to protect a suspicious package left at the E Street entrance to the White House. Fortunately, that suspicious package turned out to be a book.

The boozy episode came on the heels of a series of Secret Service gaffes -- from agents cavorting with prostitutes overseas, to a White House fence jumper who made it all the way inside the president’s home. It set off a renewed firestorm of criticism of the agency, prompting Secret Service Director Joseph Clancy to ask the DHS inspector general to investigate.

In response to the IG report, Clancy said in a statement: “I am disappointed and disturbed at the apparent lack of judgment described in this report. Behavior of the type described in the report is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Our mission is too important.”

The investigation is complete, and it contains some damning new details about the behavior of agents Marc Connolly and George Ogilvie on the night of the incident, and raises questions about accountability at the agency charged with protecting the president.

Agents Connolly and Ogilvie “displayed poor judgment and a lack of situation awareness in driving into the scene. ... We conclude that it was more likely than not that both Connolly’s and Ogilvie’s judgment was impaired by alcohol,” the report says.

A Night of Partying

The evening of March 4 began with a two-hour, open-bar, retirement party for a Secret Service colleague. After the party wrapped up, Connolly, Ogilvie and two other unnamed Secret Service personnel lingered at the bar, according to the investigation.

“Ogilvie opened a tab at 7:44 p.m. and paid it three hours later, at 10:45 p.m. On his bill, there were charges for eight glasses of scotch, two vodka drinks, one glass of wine and three glasses of beer.” The report says that Ogilvie acknowledged having two scotches and a beer, but Connolly maintained he only had two beers during the open-bar portion of the party, and drank ginger ale after that.

According to the IG report, at 10:45 p.m. the group left the bar and Connolly asked Ogilvie for a ride back to the White House. The two men badged their way through a Secret Service traffic stop at 15th and F Streets that was set up to keep traffic away from the suspicious package investigation. They turned into the 15th and E Streets entrance to the White House complex just before 11 p.m.

The IG report says the two men have different recollections of what exactly happened, but in short they tried to maneuver through the bike racks and an orange traffic barrel set up to protect the suspicious package investigation.

The report says, “It appears from the review of the video that the barrel moved more than five feet, being pushed along the concrete and brick walkway. This was no mere “bump,” but rather extended contact to shove the barrel out of the way. Additionally, apparently unknown to Ogilvie, his car passed within inches of the suspicious package during this process.”