Oversight chairman shows Secret Service barricade video for first time

House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) for the first time on Tuesday publicly showed a video of two Secret Service agents apparently disrupting an active investigation at the White House.

{mosads}In the video of the March 4 incident, reportedly obtained from the Washington, D.C., police department, the agents’ vehicle approaches an entrance to the White House complex. Agents who were investigating a suspicious package agents had placed a large traffic barricade in front of the entrance to cordon off the area.

The vehicle turns toward the entrance, knocks over the traffic barrier and drives close to the suspicious package before exiting the frame.

The incident has drawn attention to larger cultural problems in the Secret Service.

The two agents in the vehicle had reportedly been drinking — leading some lawmakers to raise questions about whether Secret Service agents turn to alcohol to deal with the stress of their jobs.

The Secret Service has also said that video of the incident was deleted.

At the hearing Tuesday, Secret Service Director Joseph Clancy said he has instructed the agency’s technical personnel to start preserving video for one week regardless of whether there is an immediately obvious reason to save it. Video that was not being used as part of an investigation has traditionally only been preserved for 72 hours.