Critical decisions after 9/11 led to slow, steady decline in quality for Secret Service

WaPo: How The Secret Service Lost Its Way
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 01: A member of the U.S. Secret Service stands watch as U.S. President Barack Obama departs the White House October 1, 2014 in Washington, DC. Earlier today, U.S. Secret Service Director Julia Pierson resigned in the wake of Omar Gonzalez allegedly jumping over the White House fence and entering the residence of the President. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 01: A member of the U.S. Secret Service stands watch as U.S. President Barack Obama departs the White House October 1, 2014 in Washington, DC. Earlier today, U.S. Secret Service Director Julia Pierson resigned in the wake of Omar Gonzalez allegedly jumping over the White House fence and entering the residence of the President. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

According to government documents and interviews with dozens of current and former officials, the recent string of security lapses at the White House resulted from a combination of tight budgets, bureaucratic battles and rapidly growing demands on the agency that have persisted through the Bush and Obama administrations in the 13 years since the attacks.

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