MEDIA ADVISORY: Senator Lankford Hearing on Internal Security Breaches within U.S. Secret Service

WASHINGTON, DC – The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs and Federal Management, under the chairmanship of Senator James Lankford (R-OK), and the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Oversight and Management Efficiency, under the chairmanship of Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA), will hold a joint hearing on Tuesday, November 17, at 10:00am ET entitled, "Examining Ongoing Challenges at the U.S. Secret Service and Their Government-wide Implications." This hearing was originally scheduled for October 27.

A recent Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) report on U.S. Secret Service employees alleged violations of the Privacy Act, DHS policy, and Secret Service policy. The OIG determined that 45 Secret Service employees had accessed Rep. Jason Chaffetz’s personal information on an internal Secret Service database a total of 60 times. In addition to illegally accessing the information, some Secret Service employees may have disclosed potentially embarrassing employment records to the media. Eighteen senior Secret Service executives who knew what was occurring failed to inform Director Joseph Clancy or stop the activity. In light of the issues at the Secret Service, this hearing will examine what is being done to protect the millions of Americans whose private information is housed on federal government databases.

WHAT: Bicameral Joint-Hearing: Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs and Federal Management and House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Oversight and Management Efficiency hearing entitled, "Examining Ongoing Challenges at the U.S. Secret Service and Their Government-wide Implications"

WHEN: Tuesday, November 17, 10:00am

WHERE: House Visitors Center Room 210

Witnesses:

Joseph Clancy, Director, U.S. Secret Service

John Roth, Inspector General, Department of Homeland Security

Joel Willemssen, Managing Director, Information Technology, U.S. Government Accountability Office

For more information or to watch a live stream of the hearing, click here. (Note: Streaming will start once the hearing begins)

Members of the media:

Press who want to attend should RSVP by emailing DJ@Lankford.Senate.gov. Members of the media must display current Senate press credentials in the hearing room.

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